Australian Open match suspended as medics called on Rod Laver Arena | Tennis | Sport
Alex de Minaur’s match with Frances Tiafoe Jr at the Australian Open was suspended for around eight minutes due to a medical emergency in the crowd of the Rod Laver Arena. De Minaur held a 6-3, 6-4, 2-0 lead over his American opponent at the time of the incident, when play came to a pause.
A TNT Sports commentator, explaining the break in play, said: “Not sure what’s going on here. Got a stricken fan, I think. Yeah, somebody’s not very well up in the stands. Hopefully they can get the medical team up there quickly. It’s fairly high up in the Rod Laver [Arena].”
Meanwhile, the umpire was heard telling Tiafoe: “Just to make sure that the person is ok, then we will continue,” before the commentary team added: “Medics are up there now, attending to the individual, which is good news.”
Play resumed in the match around eight minutes later, with Tiafoe instantly pulling the set back to 2-1. It comes after day seven of the prestigious tournament saw a schedulling shake-up on less than 24 hour’s notice.
Temperatures on Saturday are set to reach around 37 degrees Celsius, as Jannik Sinner and Madison Keys take to the courts. As a result, organisers have decided to start play earlier in the day to minimise the effects of the head in the afternoon’s peak.
An official statement was released on social media explaining the changes, warning those who hold tickets for Saturday’s play to take precautions due to the temperature. It read: “Due to weather, play across the Australian Open on Saturday 24 January will begin at 10.30am, with no impact to juniors matches (already scheduled to commence at 10am).
“Please ensure to arrive early and be ready for the updated start times. We encourage everyone to: wear a hat and sunscreen; drink plenty of water throughout the day – refill stations available across the precinct; allow extra time for arrival – gates open at 8.45am; make use of shade and air-conditioned areas inside the Arena concourses.”
While men and women main draw singles matches typically start at around 11.30am local time on the showcourts, and 11am on the other courts, organisers have moved them forward. The gates of the arena will also be opened earlier.
Main draw singles and doubles will take place at 10.30am, while the junior boys and girls matches will go ahead as planned at 10am. It means that Keys and Karolina Pliskova, as well as Jessica Pegula and Oksana Selekhmeteva will meet an hour earlier.
Elsewhere, Lorenzo Musetti’s game with Tomas Machac, and Karen Khachanov’s clash with Luciano Darderi will take place at the same time. Organisers added: “The temperature is expected to climb to the low 30s by the middle of the day, and peak in the late afternoon. Everyone coming to the AO should prepare for the heat and take advantage of the increased shade and cooling areas across the site.”
