Fans reacted really unexpectedly to the first WTA match scheduled for the night session spot on the Court Philippe-Chatrier at the 2023 Roland Garros.
At this year's event, all of the matches in this premier slot were men's matches. For the first seven nights of the tournament, ATP matches were played last on the Court Philippe-Chatrier but with growing disagreement from the fans, the tournament organizers made the decision to put a WTA match into the spot.
Despite the outcry for a women's match in the night session, the scheduling wasn't a straightforward decision. Tournament director Amalie Mauresmo defended her choices, indicating that several factors needed to be considered.
But eventually, tournament organizers scheduled the first women's match for the night session on the Court Philippe-Chatrier on the eighth day of the competition. The match between World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka and Sloane Stephens.
However, the decision was met with unexpected reactions. Journalist Jose Morgado reported on Twitter that hundreds of tickets were returned for resale on the official website following the announcement of the women's night match.
This was an unprecedented occurrence, as such a high volume of ticket returns had not been seen for any of the previous night matches during the week, which were all ATP matches.
"Really hoping this will be packed tomorrow but hundreds of tickets were put back on resale at the official website after the announcement that a women’s match would be the night one. This never happened during the rest of the week."
Despite the ticket returns, there remained hope that the stadium would be full for the first WTA match in that specific spot. The event sparked conversations about gender equality and representation in the sport, bringing to light the need for equal opportunities for both men's and women's matches at the tournament.
The response to this scheduling decision will undoubtedly shape future discussions about match scheduling at Roland Garros and other Grand Slam events, as a fiasco could only give a foundation and reasoning for the future absence of WTA matches from prestigious spots.
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