PARIS (AP) 鈥� The high-profile fourth-round matchup between top-ranked and fellow four-time Grand Slam champion on Monday will be the first at the in three years.
Roland Garros organizers have been criticized for scheduling only men鈥檚 matches under the lights in recent years, with organizers saying they are under pressure from TV broadcasters and that women鈥檚 best-of-three set matches are too short compared to the best-of-five format for men.
It will be only the fifth women鈥檚 match in the five years since the night sessions were introduced in Paris.
The last women鈥檚 match at night also involved Sabalenka, when she beat Sloane Stephens in 2023.
鈥淵OLO,鈥� Osaka said when asked on Saturday if her match against Sabalenka deserved to be held at night, using the abbreviation for 鈥淵ou only live once.鈥�
Osaka has been putting on a fashion show for her walk-ons before each match of the tournament.
Sabalenka leads 2-1 in career meetings with Osaka, who has reached the fourth round in Paris for the first time.
鈥淚鈥檓 just ready for the fight,鈥� Sabalenka said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 great to see her back on her level. 鈥� I really enjoy our battles. It鈥檚 high-level matches, and I really enjoy when somebody push me to the limit.鈥�
The match is scheduled to start at 8:15 p.m. local time.
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