Play at AO 2026 suspended due to excessive heat; What is Australian Open heat rule? Explained

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Play was suspended on the main showcourts at the Australian Open 2026 after the AO Heat Stress Scale recorded five on Saturday. Play resumed shortly under closed roofs.

Italy's Jannik Sinner uses a cooling tube between games against USA's Eliot Spizzirri at the Australian Open 2026 on Saturday. (AFP)

In a rare incident, play at Australian Open 2026 was suspended for a brief time due to excessive heat on Saturday. With the temperatures rising to 36 degrees Celsius (96.8°F) at Melbourne Park, the organisers decided to close the roofs on the main showcourts after the Australian Open invoked its extreme heat policy.

The play was halted when defending champion Jannik Sinner was trailing against Eliot Spizzirri 6-4, 3-6, 3-1 on Rod Laver Arena. Thankfully for Sinner, the break came at the right time as he was seen cramping and struggling to move. Italian Lorenzo Musetti was leading Tomas Machac 2-0 in the fifth set at John Cain Arena when play was paused.

The matches resumed after eight minutes under closed roof. The tournament referee said matches would not be played on outside courts until 5.30 PM (0630 GMT & 1 PM IST). It must be noted that play had started an hour earlier to take advantage of the relative cool morning.

What is Australian Open heat policy?

The organisers at Australian Open, had introduced an extreme heat policy which takes into account air temperature, radiant heat, wind speed and humidity on a scale of one to five. It allows the officials to delay or suspend matches after assessing conditions.

According to the policy, players can take a 10-minute break when four is recorded on Australian Open Heat Stress Scale (AO-HSS). When it reaches five, the referee has the power to suspend matches on outside courts and closing the roofs on the main showcourts.

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Australian Open Heat Stress Scale (AO-HSS).

Meanwhile, despite the adverse conditions, Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula and Amanda Anisimova thrived in heat as they advanced to the next round. While Keys needed 75 minutes to beat Karolina Pliskova, Pegula registered a quick-fire 6-3, 6-2 win over Oksana Selekhmeteva. Anisimova defeated fellow American Peyton Stearns 6-1, 6-4 in just 71 minutes.

On the other hand, Sinner survived a first round scare before battling through to the fourth round with a gutsy 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win over Spizzirri. He will next meet fellow Italian Luciano Darderi for a quarterfinal place in his bid for third consecutive title at Melbourne Park.