Extreme heat forced the Australian Open to close roofs and suspend play on outside courts as Melbourne recorded its hottest day in 17 years. Temperatures hit around 45°C on Tuesday, with the tournament's heat stress scale reaching its critical cut-off mark of five shortly before 1:30pm.
The scorching conditions disrupted matches across Melbourne Park, affecting nearly 80,000 fans and forcing organizers to implement emergency protocols. Organizers temporarily halted play on uncovered courts. Temperatures in regional Victoria soared to 48°C in Ouyen, threatening the state's heat record set on Black Saturday in 2009.
Zverev survives indoor battle
Third seed Alexander Zverev advanced to his 10th grand slam semi-final with a 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-1, 7-6(3) victory over 20-year-old American Learner Tien. Players played the entire quarter-final match indoors on Rod Laver Arena after organizers closed the roof due to the extreme heat.
Zverev praised his opponent's performance. "Learner from the baseline was playing unbelievable," he said. "I don't think I've played anyone who plays that well from the baseline for a very long time."
The German highlighted the importance of his serve in securing the win. "I don't know what Michael Chang has done with him in the off-season, but it's incredible," Zverev said. "Without my 20 something aces, I probably would not have won today."
Tien, coached by former French Open champion Michael Chang, was bidding to become the youngest man to reach the Melbourne semi-finals in 34 years. Zverev's fourth Australian Open semi-final marks the most by a German man at this tournament.
Sabalenka powers through heat
World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka cruised past 18-year-old American Iva Jovic 6-3, 6-0 to reach the semi-finals. She has yet to drop a set in the tournament, extending her remarkable record of reaching at least the semi-finals in 12 of her last 13 contested grand slams.
"These teenagers are testing me in the last couple of rounds," Sabalenka said. "She's an incredible player, it was a tough match – don't look at the score, it wasn't easy at all."
Organizers closed the roof on Rod Laver Arena during Sabalenka's post-match interview as temperatures peaked. "At the end of the match, it was really hot out there," she said. "I'm glad they closed the roof almost halfway so we had a lot of shade in the back."
Sabalenka acknowledged knowing organizers would protect players from extreme conditions. "I knew going into this match that they won't let us play in crazy heat," she said. "If it would reach the five, they would definitely close the roof, so I knew that they were protecting us, our health."
Despite the loss, the tournament marks a breakthrough for Jovic, who will enter the top 20 rankings next month.
Australia-wide emergency
The extreme heat extended far beyond Melbourne, with heatwave warnings issued across New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, Northern Territory, Australian Capital Territory, Victoria, and South Australia. Many warnings remain in effect until Wednesday.
Victoria's emergency management commissioner Tim Wiebusch told ABC the conditions were unprecedented in recent history. "We haven't seen heatwave conditions like this in Victoria for almost 20 years," he said. "It was 2009 ahead of the bushfires where we saw those prevailing conditions and so we are indicating to all Victorians that this is a very serious set of weather conditions."
The heatwave coincided with Australia Day celebrations on January 26, forcing Adelaide organizers to cancel a parade and light show. "While this is deeply disappointing for the community, performers and partners, community safety and wellbeing must come first," organizers said.
Firefighters in Victoria battled six major fires, three of them out of control. Authorities declared a total fire ban for Wednesday in the Wimmera and North East districts.
The tournament faces a million-dollar financial hit as fans stayed away, though attendance records remain on track.
Organizers reworked the schedule in anticipation of the extreme conditions, postponing wheelchair draws until Wednesday and adjusting junior match timings. The heat stress scale, which considers air temperature, radiant heat, humidity, and wind speed, determines when play must be suspended to protect player safety.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
