Australian Open matches suspended as Jannik Sinner leaves court after huge scare

Play has been suspended at the Australian Open under the heat rule. It's a scorching day in Melbourne, with temperatures reaching around 38 degrees Celsius, and players have been forced off the courts. The Australian Open's heat stress scale has now reached 5, its highest number.

This means that play on all outdoor courts is suspended altogether and will not resume for more than two hours. Play on the arena courts, which have roofs, was also suspended until the roofs were closed. It meant that Jannik Sinner was able to leave Rod Laver Arena briefly while struggling in the brutal conditions.

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The world No. 2 dropped the first set but came from a break down to win the second. However, the third set has gotten off to a brutal start for Sinner, who started cramping and called the trainer.

The Italian went an early break down when the heat stress scale reached 5, and the chair umpire announced that play would be suspended until the roof was shut, allowing the players to compete in cool conditions.

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It was something of a lifeline for Sinner, who used the opportunity to leave the court and cool down. Cameras in the walkways around Rod Laver Arena showed the two-time former champion leaving the court, while his coach, Darren Cahill, and tournament director, Craig Tiley, were also spotted.

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Commentators Mark Petchey, Brad Stine and Colin Fleming questioned whether Sinner would use the opportunity to take an ice bath. But the world No. 2 made a swift return to Rod Laver Arena, with the roof closing quickly.

Australian Open organisers issued a statement on the suspension of play and issued advice to spectators on site. “The AO Heat Stress Scale is above 5.0,” they wrote. “Play is suspended for all matches and practice on outside courts. The roofs on RLA, MCA and JCA will close and remain closed for the remainder of the match.”

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Play on John Cain Arena, where fellow Italian Lorenzo Musetti is in action against Tomas Machac, was also suspended briefly while the roof was shut. Over on Margaret Court Arena, Ben Shelton and Valentin Vacherot walked out under the roof, and will play their entire match in cooler, indoor conditions.

Matches on all outdoor courts, including Kia Arena, where Linda Noskova is facing Xinyu Wang, are expected to be halted for an extended period. Under the heat rule here, the referee will continue to monitor the heat stress scale during any suspension of play to decide when it can resume. Players are then given at least 30 minutes’ notice of resumption of play.

The Australian Open has provisionally announced that matches on outdoor courts will resume not before 5.30pm local time. It was around 3pm when they were halted.

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Inside Rod Laver Arena, the cooler conditions did the trick for Sinner, who immediately broke Spizzirri’s serve when play resumed. He came out of another tight game to level the score at 3-3. “Certainly saved by the roof will be the headline if he does win,” Fleming said of Sinner.

The two-time defending champion went on to win the set 6-4, and Sinner and Spizzirri were granted a 10-minute off-court break in between sets three and four in accordance with the heat policy.

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