Extreme heat warning spells early start at Australian Open | How it could affect matches including roof closures
Tennis News
Matches will again start earlier on Tuesday 27 January at the Australian Open with extreme heat set to bathe Melbourne Park with players already feeling it on court throughout the past two weeks of action.
Now Aryna Sabalenka and Iva Jovic will start earlier than usual with a 1:30am European time (11:30am local) start for their Quarter-Final match on Rod Laver Arena which will be followed by Alexander Zverev v Learner Tien before the heat becomes unbearable later that day.
Zverev faces Tien at around 1:30pm local time or 3:30am during the night in Europe. Albeit of course that could feasibly be earlier given that the tournament organisers want to get the matches out the way before it becomes too hot and also a situation could occur realistically that Sabalenka could easily beat Jovic and end her run and then they could start earlier.
But either way, it will be an earlier start tomorrow. Most of the main games will be in the evening with thankfully it being the Quarter-Final stages anyway so there are less matches to cram in. Wheelchair matches have been postponed though for 24 hours to combat the heat, while the other two games on in singles on Tuesday are Coco Gauff who will face Elina Svitolina.
While Carlos Alcaraz takes on Alex de MInaur. Both are bound to be late affairs with Gauff v Svitolina being at 7:00pm local time when it starts to get dark and the heat dissipates before De Minaur v Alcaraz is on at just after 8pm. This will be around 9 and 10am in Europe respectively so likely if the latter match goes anywhere near where it could time wise, it could be an 11pm finish on Tuesday.
Temperatures are expected to rise to 45 degrees and for the end of the Jovic v Sabalenka match, it will likely be 38 degrees. This in particular will not favour those from Europe who don't tend to see those temperatures at all during their summers. But the Australian Open has put measures into place such as air conditioned concourses, play on the outside courts and roof closures will follow their protocols with players being taken off if it is too hot.
It is more now a battle of who can weather the heat it seems over the match itself tomorrow.
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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