Iga Swiatek and Emma Raducanu recently locked horns in a blockbuster encounter at the 2025 French Open, with the Pole emerging victorious. However, the timing of the match did not sit well with Coco Gauff’s former coach Brad Gilbert, who proposed an alternative way to schedule women’s matches.
Swiatek dominated her highly anticipated clash against Raducanu, claiming a 6-1, 6-2 victory as she looks to rebound from her slump in form. The World No. 5 is also aiming to make history at the claycourt Major by becoming the first woman in the Open Era to win four consecutive Roland Garros titles.
Following the match, Brad Gilbert argued that scheduling Iga Swiatek and Emma Raducanu’s encounter for the night session would’ve been the “logical” decision. However, he acknowledged that scheduling just one night match could be risky, since a dominant victory could lead to a very brief session.
Trending
"Just seeing live score Iga Pop rolled Emma, that seemed logical women’s night match @rolandgarros exactly why you can’t have just one ☝️ night match, would have been way to quick of session," Gilbert posted.
Gilbert made the remarks amid the debate surrounding the French Open snubbing women's matches in the prime-time session. In response to Ons Jabeur calling out the organizers for making the "sad" decision to not promote women's players, Gilbert proposed that a possible solution would be to start the evening session earlier and schedule two matches.
"They should have women’s matches at night, but can’t have one ☝️ match scheduled and risk blowout should have 2 or a doubles to go with it or start evening session at 7pm 🕖," he commented.
However, Iga Swiatek herself may not appreciate Brad Gilbert's suggestion, given her preference for playing during the day.
Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff weigh in on French Open's scheduling of women's matches
During her campaign at the French Open last year, Iga Swiatek disclosed that she found it more comfortable to compete during the day. As such, when she was recently asked if she was bothered by men's matches having "bigger audiences" by virtue of being prioritized in the night session, the Pole made it clear that she didn't mind it in the slightest.
Coco Gauff also said that she couldn't complain about the tournament's decision, especially since most women's players wouldn't want to compete after the conclusion of the first match in the night session.
"I think here is a unique topic because there is only one slot at 8:15. To be honest, I don’t think any girl.. I mean, prove me wrong, but I don’t think anyone wants to play after the 8:15 match. I don’t know what the other girls would think, but I think most people would rather play before that," Gauff said.
Following her win over Emma Raducanu, Iga Swiatek will square off against Jaqueline Cristian in the third round of the claycourt Major. Meanwhile, Coco Gauff is set to face Tereza Valentova in her second-round clash.
