Australian Open 2026: Tennis world fumes over officials' baffling move that almost derailed Alex de Minaur

Australian Open officials are coming under fire from tennis fans after their baffling decision not to close the Centre Court roof during Alex de Minaur's second-round match on Wednesday night. The Aussie star was given a scare against World No.90 Hamad Medjedovic, but outlasted the big-hitting Serbian to prevail 6-7 (7-5) 6-2 6-2 6-1.

De Minaur's four-set victory ensured him of a spot in the third round, where he will face dangerous American 29th seed Frances Tiafoe, who beat Argentine Francisco Comesana in four sets. The local favourite didn't have it all his own way against Medjedovic, who got off to a flying start after taking out a tense opening set in a tiebreaker.

The Aussie World No.6 found his groove in the second, as his superior fitness and court coverage came to the fore. De Minaur was making his 22-year-old opponent work for every point and he soon found his range from the back of the court to level the contest at one set apiece.

Roof finally closed after rain delays Alex de Minaur's match

But just as de Minaur looked to have grabbed the momentum, he was forced off Rod Laver arena as the heavens opened up. The wet weather forced play to be suspended for 30 minutes while the court was mopped up and the roof was closed. And it threatened to derail de Minaur's charge just when he'd stamped his authority on the contest.

Fans were left frustrated by the farcical scenes as ground staff worked away feverishly to soak up the water on Centre Court and get it ready for action again. And viewers hit out at the lack of foresight from organisers after questioning why the Rod Laver roof wasn't closed earlier, considering heavy rain was forecast in Melbourne.

Commentators agreed the extended break benefited Medjedovic more as it gave him a chance to mentally regroup after the second set. But fortunately for de Minaur, it didn't halt his momentum as the World No.6 grabbed an immediate break of serve, before racing away to a two-sets-to-one lead.

Alex de Minaur rolls into third round at Australian Open

De Minaur continued to dominate in the fourth set and closed out victory in three hours and four minutes to progress to the third round at Melbourne Park for the sixth consecutive year. It kept his perfect 18-from-18 record against lower-ranked rivals in Melbourne alive, but de Minaur admitted it was a tougher match than the scoreline might have suggested.

"I weathered the storm," the Aussie said after the match. "He (Medjedovic) was playing some unbelievable tennis, serving great, hitting the ball from the baseline, really big and deep, and not really allowing me to do much.

"Ultimately, a (best of) five-set match is a long match, so there's going to be lots of chances. I took them, and I'm super happy to battle my way through." If de Minaur can get past Tiafoe in the third round, his path to the semi-finals looks very tricky, with potential showdowns against 10th seed Alexander Bublik (fourth round) and World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz (quarter-finals) looming.

Click here to read article