1 day ago
7
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
Tumaini Carayol endured the heat at Melbourne Park on Saturday that caused havoc with this half of the draw.
Heat is a common subject in tennis, a sport that chases the sun around the world. Last month, after numerous heat-related retirements at the Shanghai Masters, the ATP announced its own heat rules, ending years of debate over whether the tour should prioritise the welfare of its players or continue to enable antiquated attitudes. There are still some who view the sport as a gladiatorial pursuit where athletes should be able to handle all conditions, regardless of how dangerous they are.
Day nine will be hot - day ten will be ferocious
It’s currently 22C at Melbourne Park. We’ll hit 30 by 2pm, and the peak of 35 is expected at 6pm. This is not great news for Jannik Sinner who has drawn the short straw two rounds in a row. The Heat Stress Scale will surely rise above 4 during the afternoon and evening, meaning extended breaks between sets. However, based on Saturday, it seems unlikely we’ll see the Extreme Heat Protocol lead to roof closures and play suspended.
That is unquestionably going to occur tomorrow when the forecast top is a crazy 45C. Assuming play starts earlier than usual to mitigate the circumstances it will still be 33C at 10:30am. 40C will be reached around 1pm and we won’t dip back under 35 until after 10pm.
I don’t envy Craig Tiley and the rest of the tournament organisers. We will find out the scheduling for Tuesday around 6pm, but surely they will back-end as much as possible and expect to play under closed roofs for the entirety of the afternoon and evening.
The powerful contingent of US women continues to grow with teenager Iva Jovic joining Coco Gauff in the quarters. By the end of today half the quarter-finalists in the women’s draw could be American.
Yesterday, Carlos Alcaraz continued on his quest to become the youngest man to complete the career grand slam.
But the Spaniard faces a tough task in the quarter-finals against a confident and composed Alex de Minaur in the form of his life.
Preamble
Jonathan Howcroft
Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of day nine of the Australian Open and the conclusion of the fourth round of the men’s and women’s singles.
The most intriguing match of the day is up first on Rod Laver Arena, featuring close friends Jessica Pegula (6) and Madison Keys (9). That all-USA affair kicks us off around 11:30am local time.
Around 1:30pm on John Cain Arena, Amanda Anisimova (4) is bidding to become the fourth American into the quarter-finals of the women’s draw when she takes on China’s Xinyu Wang.
Back on RLA near 2pm Lorenzo Musetti (5) and Taylor Fritz (9) will have to endure the worst of the day’s heat, while conditions will also be tough on Margaret Court Arena for Elena Rybakina (5) and Elise Mertens (21) when they get going, not before 4pm.
The day session concludes much later than usual with a fascinating all-Italian clash on MCA between Luciano Darderi (22) and two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner (2). It remains to be seen how the second seed has recovered from his gruelling third round match in Saturday’s extreme conditions, and the mercury will again be in the mid-30s when he sends down his first serve around 6pm.
Feel free to get in touch while the blog is live. You can reach me at [email protected].
