"Does US Open care about scheduling of European players?" - Fans reject complaint about Coco Gauff's French Open schedule not catering to US viewers

Tennis fans have rejected commentator David Law's criticism of the 2024 French Open's scheduling of Coco Gauff's matches. Gauff is delivering a strong campaign at the claycourt Major, having booked her place in the quarterfinals for the fourth consecutive year.

Following her commanding 6-1, 6-2 win over Elisabetta Cocciaretto, Gauff is set to take on Ons Jabeur in an exciting quarterfinal clash. The duo will kick off the action on Court Philippe-Chatrier on Day 10 of the French Open, with their match scheduled to commence at 11:00 am local time.

However, this will make it difficult for US audiences to catch the last remaining American in the women's singles draw in action, as the match will begin at 5:00 am ET in the United States.

In light of this, commentator David Law criticized the French Open schedule, questioning the logic behind setting up the match for "America's biggest current tennis star" Coco Gauff at such an inconvenient time for US viewers.

"I have a lot of thoughts about the scheduling of this tennis tournament. But let’s put all of them aside for a moment and focus on this: Can someone, anyone, explain the logic of putting America’s biggest current tennis star, Coco Gauff, on in the middle of the night in the US?" he posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Tennis fans pushed back against Law's criticism, asserting that the French Open didn't need to "pander" to the US audience.

"I don’t think the French should be pandering to the US TV companies they need to be fair to all players. See absolutely nothing wrong with tomorrow’s schedule," one fan commented.

"Because the tournament is in Paris and not the US and the French open makes decisions based on what they want and their schedule," another fan chimed in.

"Because there are other countries in the world besides the US," said another.

Others pointed out the apparent doubles standards, arguing that the US Open isn't expected to adjust the schedule to prioritize European audiences when featuring players like Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, or Iga Swiatek.

"And does US Open care about scheduling of European players to make it accessible for the European audience?" a fan posted.

"So US Open should think about the preferred time for the Spanish or Italians to see Alcaraz or Sinner over the American fans preferences too? Don’t think so..The tournament is in Paris, they should put the schedules as they see fit for French and European fans," said another.

"Well, when you're from Poland and you want to watch Iga during Sunshine Double or USOpen swing,you also have to get up in the middle of the night. So you're not some special butterfly," shared yet another.

Some fans also argued that Swiatek's clash against Marketa Vondrousova was the more interesting matchup and therefore deserved the higher billing.

"1) The match between two Slam champions is more interesting (Swiatek - Vondrousova). 2) Coco plays doubles," one fan commented.

"Because Iga's match and Tsitsi-Alcaraz are more interesting, plus the US never cared about Europeans, literally in any sport- just look at NBA for example, they couldn't schedule a single match to not be in the middle of the night, despite Doncic being the biggest star playing," another fan chimed in.

"I know I can bother Coco Gauff, it's gonna be definitely a great fight" - Ons Jabeur ahead of French Open QF clash

Ons Jabeur (L) and Coco Gauff

Ahead of their quarterfinal clash at the 2024 French Open, Ons Jabeur lavished praise on Coco Gauff, commending the 20-year-old for her maturity. Jabeur also disclosed that she is anticipating a "difficult" match against Gauff but expressed faith in her ability to "bother" the World No. 3 with her game.

"I love how Coco plays and I love how Coco talks, you know, in general. I think she is really mature for her age and she is really an amazing person as well. It's gonna be definitely a difficult match," she said about Coco Gauff in her post-match press conference.

"She is such a fighter on the court. I hope I can play good and I can play my game because I know I can bother her as well, but it's gonna be definitely a great fight between us," she added.

Coco Gauff enjoys a 4-2 lead in her head-to-head record against the Tunisian, including a dominant 6-0, 6-1 victory in their most recent clash at the 2023 WTA Finals.

If Gauff triumphs over Jabeur, she will face the winner of the match between two-time defending champion Iga Swiatek and fifth seed Marketa Vondrousova in the semifinals of the claycourt Major.