Aryna Sabalenka defeated Naomi Osaka 7-5, 6-3 in a French Open fourth-round night session on Court Philippe-Chatrier. The two players used their post-match comments to call for more women's matches in the prime-time slot.
The match on Monday evening marked only the fifth women's contest in 61 night sessions since the format began in 2021. Nearly 15,000 spectators filled the stands for the encounter. Sabalenka said after the win that the atmosphere showed why women's matches deserve the slot more often. 'I think it's really important that they put our match today as a night session,' she stated. 'It's like we open up that door for women's night sessions.' Osaka echoed the view. 'I'm honoured the tournament chose us to play in this slot and I hope going forward they continue to do so,' she said. Tournament director Amélie Mauresmo had called the scheduling decision obvious beforehand. The result leaves open whether organizers will expand opportunities for women's matches in future years.
