The French Open will break a three-year streak by featuring a women's match in its night session, with world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka facing Naomi Osaka in their fourth-round encounter. This rare appearance ends a run of 33 consecutive men's matches in the primetime slot, marking a significant shift in tournament scheduling.

Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo has faced criticism for reserving the high-profile night session almost exclusively for men's singles since its 2021 introduction. Only four of the first 60 matches in this slot were women's singles, with none featured since 2023, raising questions about gender equality in prime tennis exposure.

Osaka noted her unfamiliarity with night matches at Roland Garros, expressing she associates the tournament with daytime play rather than evening sessions. Mauresmo previously defended the scheduling preference by citing ticket value and women's shorter best-of-three format compared to men's best-of-five matches.

New WTA chair Valerie Camillo met with Mauresmo at Roland Garros this week, explicitly calling for greater representation of women's matches in premium time slots. This scheduling change reflects ongoing efforts to address the visibility gap between men's and women's tennis at Grand Slam events.