Thursday was full of second-round matches at the 2025 French Open, but few high-end upsets. Second-seeded Coco Gauff won her match over Tereza Valentova relatively easily 6-2 6-4. The American has won one Grand Slam event in her career, but the 21-year-old hopes to make it two in Paris.
The issue with the clay-court major is that it appears to be inherently sexist. Long has it featured nearly only men's matches in the night session when more people tune in. Is it the time slot, or is it the players involved in the matches?
The French Open must think it's the players and that those players are male. Even while players (both men and women) have been critical of who plays at night, the tournament has done little to address the issue.
Coco Gauff lets the French Open know exactly what she thinks
The night session was introduced when organizers apparently realized electricity existed in 2022. Of the 34 matches played in the evening, only two have involved players on the WTA side. There is no other way to define that than the way of doing business favors men over women.
It isn't as if Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have been the only players in those men's matches, either. Plus, the women's players who could have taken part make for just as entertaining of brand of tennis as the men do. If French Open organizers think fans are only interested in seeing ATP players, the sexism purely lies with them and is false.
How much clearer can the sexism be than when French Tennis Federation president Gilles Moretton said recently, "We need to put the better match ... for the spectators (at night)"? The "better match" could feature women, of course, but the French Open obviously does not think so.
Gauff is only of the WTA players frustrated that there has been no change in 2025. Ons Jabeur has continuously voiced her opinion on the matter to deaf ears. The problem is that the Grand Slam pays well, and players, because of ranking points, are forced to participate in the event. Otherwise, a boycott might be worth it.
After winning her second-round match, Gauff told the press, "I feel like we produce some high-quality tennis, and we have some great stars on the women's side who fans, I'm sure, would love to see. From my experience, playing at the US Open, night match at 7 p.m., with (Djokovic) following me...people were almost just as excited to see me play as (they were) him."
Gauff is right, of course. Women deserve to take some of the prime time spots, too. The sad part is the people in charge of the French Open are unlikely to see it that way.