Australian Open’s hottest temperatures in 17 years causes play suspension

The tournament’s organised invoked their extreme heat policy as temperatures soared to a height of 43ºC

Aryna Sabalenka sealed her place in the Australian Open last four just before the 40ºC mark was surpassed (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Australian Open organisers invoked their extreme heat policy as temperatures soared at Melbourne Park on Tuesday, prompting the suspension of play on outer courts and the closure of roofs on the main showcourts.

The tournament's "Heat Stress Scale" reached the highest threshold of 5.0 early in the afternoon with the temperature breaking through the 40ºC mark by 2pm local time, and would go on to soar to 43ºC by 4:30pm - the highest figure since 2009.

The year's opening Grand Slam operates under an extreme heat policy that considers air temperature, radiant heat, wind speed and humidity to assess playing conditions.

The threshold was reached soon after world number one Aryna Sabalenka completed her 6-3 6-0 win over American teenager Iva Jovic, with the roof on the Rod Laver Arena closing as the players left the court.

"At the end of the match, it was really hot out there," Sabalenka told reporters. "I'm glad they closed the roof almost halfway so we had a lot of shade in the back, so we could go back and stay in the shade.

"I knew going into this match that they won't let us play on crazy heat. If it (the scale) would reach the five, they would definitely close the roof, so I knew that they were protecting us, our health.

"Anyway, when we finished it was 4.4, so it was quite hot. It's okay, I'm happy that I managed."

Quarter-final matches in the Rod Laver Arena continued to be played under the roof throughout the day, with Alexander Zverev beating rising star Learner Tien before Elina Svitolina stunned Coco Gauff in a 59-minute domination.

Queues for entry into the venue were much shorter than usual and crowds were largely absent from concourses across the venue, where the latest edition of the season's opening Grand Slam has been watched by record numbers.

Matches in the Wheelchair Championships have been postponed by 24 hours due to the forecast heat with organisers advising fans to bring hats, drink plenty of water and make use of misting fans scattered around Melbourne Park.

Special conditions have also been put in place for tournament staff, with ball kids given shorter spells on court along with increased recovery times and additional relief squads.

Reuters