French Open 2022: The Night Sessions - tomorrow it's the women's turn
Rafael Nadal will face Corentin Moutet in the Night Session at Roland Garros today. It is the third time on three occasions that two men have worked the evening shift at Court Philippe-Chatrier. Tomorrow Alizé Cornet and Jelena Ostapenko will play.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: May 25, 2022, 03:19 pm
By Jens Huiber from Roland Garros
Amélie Mauresmo positioned herself close to the Philippe-Chatrier court early in the fourth set of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga's farewell match on Tuesday. The tournament director, who succeeded Guy Forget, wanted to be among the first to congratulate Tsonga on his retirement. A sad, but somehow beautiful task. For Mauresmo and her team, the question of who should give the main act for the evening event in the largest stadium of the Stade Roland Garros is a little more delicate.
Today, Wednesday, one could speak of a "No Brainer": 13-time champion Rafael Nadal is scheduled against a local hero, Corentin Moutet. A similarly exciting match as on Tuesday between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Lorenzo Musetti is not to be expected, but it guarantees: three sets of tennis entertainment. If no injury intervenes.
Swiatek to the dominant?
In the past few days, the question has been raised here and there on social media as to when Mauresmo would ensure gender equality in the evening. After all, nobody deserved to be put in the shop window more radiantly than Iga Swiatek. However, the 2020 winner and dominator of recent months has a habit of keeping her matches rather short, which is uncomfortable for her opponents. In round one against Lesia Tsurenko, Swiatek needed just 54 minutes and only gave up two games.
This is not the show for which a major streaming provider in France bought the rights. Apart from another source of income for the French Tennis Federation, the main reason that the Night Sessions exist at all. If the matter is over after an hour, a grumbling background noise from the paying customers is inevitable.
This theory will now be put to the test on Thursday. Alizé Cornet and Jelena Ostapenko have been announced. Ostapenko, winner of the French Open 2017, plays fast, but there should be a good hour of evening entertainment.
Evening freshness in Paris
Comparisons with the other majors are difficult: with the start time of 8:45 p.m., the French Open is far behind the US Open and Australian Open, where the night session starts at half past seven at the latest. There is only one match on the program in Roland Garros, in Melbourne and New York City there are two well into the second week. And that under summery conditions. Anyone who becomes a night owl in Paris should come well equipped. A t-shirt alone does not do justice to the evening temperatures on the Bois de Boulogne.
So what to do? In the day session on the chatrier, just schedule two games instead of three? That would not do justice to the steep entrance fees, which are usually at least three figures. Planning two women's matches in the evening? Then there could be up to six sets and finishing times in the early hours of the morning. That would not go down well with fans, TV and especially the players. So Amélie Mauresmo has a lot to think about. A relatively simple, albeit moving farewell like that of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga comes in handy. And on Thursday you try a match from the women's tableau.
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