French Tennis Federation under fire following another late night finish in Paris

| by Jamie Malachy

Journalists and fans have been vocal in their criticism of the scheduling of matches at this year's Paris Masters.

Cameron Norrie and home hope Corentin Moutet finished their match at 03:04 local time, having only walked out on court past midnight. It is the second time this year that the French Tennis Federation have come under scrutiny for their organisation of tournament match scheduling.

"Umpire didn’t do a good match, but I’m not criticising" - Medvedev following his Paris loss
"Umpire didn’t do a good match, but I’m not criticising" - Medvedev following his Paris loss

At Roland Garros earlier this year, there was controversy around the decision to run night sessions at the French Open - for a number of reasons.

Firstly, there was criticism of the unequal division of men's and women's games in the night session, and the change in the conditions of the clay court as temperatures dropped.

Secondly, there was the question of whether the French Open, and Paris as a city, was equipped to sufficiently stage matches that would routinely run well past midnight. This is more pertinent to the criticism aimed at the Paris Masters organisers this week.

The Paris Metro closes at 01:15, meaning that spectators reliant on public transport would have to compromise on their trip home, or leave early. It also poses questions about the integrity of the competition if some players are playing well into the next day, when their opponent finished hours earlier.

Moutet, who defeated Norrie at gone 3 in the morning, will face Tsitsipas at 19:30 local time, the Greek having finished his match at noon yesterday.

It remains to be seen whether the French Tennis Federation will take note of the issues highlighted after last night, as there has been no announcement or response, and no schedule match times today were changed.

WATCH: Medvedev breaks racquet after painful loss in Paris
WATCH: Medvedev breaks racquet after painful loss in Paris

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