Maria Sharapova toiled in 43-degree Celsius (109 F) temperatures for more than 3 1/2 hours on Rod laver Arena and could count herself among the unlucky early starters at the oppressively hot Australian Open on Thursday.
After organizers finally decided to suspend matches due to extreme temperatures in a heat wave gripping southeastern Australia, late lighting and rain caused further delays on day four.
Caroline Wozniacki highlighted the unpredictable Melbourne weather, describing the conditions as “pleasant” when she played on Rod laver Arena immediately after Sharapova. And comparatively, it was. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer also enjoyed the milder temperatures when they played evening matches indoors.
The roof at Rod laver Arena re-opened when weather conditions improved, and Wimbledon champion Andy Murray won the last 23 points in the featured night match to come back from 5-1 down in the third set and beat French qualifier Vincent Millot 6-2, 6-2, 7-5.
“It was 6-5 when I went to serve for it, and someone shouted out, ‘You won 19 in a row’,” Murray said. “I would say that’s probably the most I’d ever won in my career by far. I don’t really know how I did it.”
Earlier, organizers invoked their ‘Extreme Heat Policy’ and the roofs on the two main arenas were closed in the afternoon. Matches on outside courts, meanwhile, were suspended for more than four hours until temperatures dropped.
Problems with the weather didn’t end there — thunderstorms, lightning and rain showers hit during the early evening, forcing another suspension of play for matches on the outer courts.
Defending champion Victoria Azarenka was spared, playing indoors when she beat Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-1, 6-4.
Her main rival on the bottom half of the draw had to endure the harshest conditions of the day.
The temperature was 39 C (102 F) when Sharapova’s match against No. 44-ranked Karin Knapp started just after 11 a.m. local time. It increased to almost 43 C by the time she finished off a 6-3, 4-6, 10-8 win on her fourth match point, 50 minutes after her first. It was the longest women’s match so far in the tournament.
“I wanted this match,” Sharapova said. “I didn’t play my best tennis; I didn’t do many things well ... (but) I got through it, and sometimes that’s what’s important.”
At the height of the heat, Sharapova, dripping in sweat, wasted three match points on serve in the 10th game of the third set, and then had to save break points and serve to stay in the match.
She’ll next meet No. 25 Alize Cornet of France, who sobbed on court after beating Camila Giorgi of Italy 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in 2 1/2 hours.
“I went really further than my limits. It was really hot, that’s why I’m so emotional,” Cornet said of the conditions.
Wozniacki had a 6-0, 1-6, 6-2 win over American Christina McHale, No. 8 Jelena Jankovic defeated Ayumi Morita 6-2, 6-0 and No. 13 Sloane Stephens, who beat Serena Williams here last year in the quarterfinals, defeated Ajla Tomljanovic 3-6, 6-2, 7-5.
Federer played on the second show court at Melbourne Park for the first time in a decade, and raced to a 6-2, 6-1, 7-6 ( 4) win over Blaz Kavcic under the roof at Hisense Arena.
Federer said he didn’t mind the switch - he’d played 63 consecutive matches on Rod laver since 2004.
“It was nice ... it’s not really different to Rod laver Arena really,” Federer said. “Dimensions feel the same, the crowds were really nice, great atmosphere. I was happy playing there.”
He was playing at the same time as Nadal for the first time in years at Melbourne Park. Nadal had no trouble in a 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 win over Australian wild-card entry Thanasi Kokkinakis under the roof on Rod laver Arena.
“Very happy to see the roof out there today,” Nadal said.
No. 16 Kei Nishikori had a 6-1, 6-1, 7-6 (3) win over Dusan lajovic. He will next play American Donald Young, who beat No. 24 Andreas Seppi 6-4, 2-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 in one of the matches suspended for nearly four hours due to the heat.
Other winners included No. 10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, No. 11 Milos Raonic, No. 18 Gilles Simon, No. 22 Grigor Dimitrov and No. 25 Gael Monfils.
Organizers announced that Canadian Vasek Pospisil withdrew with a back injury from his scheduled third-round match Friday against No. 8 Stanislas Wawrinka.
Del Potro’s shock exit
In the biggest upset of the Australian Open 2014 was the ouster of fifth-seeded Juan Martin del Potro. He was beaten 4-6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 by Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain.
It was Bautista Agut’s first win in seven matches against a top 10 player, and del Potro’s fourth second-round exit in eight years at the season’s first major.
The match lasted 3 hours and 53 minutes and ended at 1:20 a.m. Friday after a long day of match suspensions and delays due to extreme heat and storms.
“I think he played a great match over nearly four hours,” del Potro said. “But in every (important) moment ... he played an unbelievable shot. In break-point down, he served well. He made winners with forehands, backhands, and he played always down the line very often.”
Bautista Agut had only ever played two five-set matches, losing both, and is now into the third round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time.
Del Potro won his 18th career singles title last week by beating Bernard Tomic in the final of the Sydney International, a key warm-up event for the Australian Open, and was considered the leading contender from outside the “Big Four” for the Australian title.
“The season has just started,” del Potro, the 2009 U.S. Open champion, said. “I will try to be positive for the rest of the year.”
‘The Australian Open extreme heat policy has been implemented’
Organisers suspended play at the Australian Open on Thursday as temperatures hit 42 Celsius (107.6 Fahrenheit) on a third day of extreme heat, throwing the Grand Slam tournament into chaos.
Players were to complete their current sets before a suspension until at least 5:00 pm (0600 GMT) on outside courts, they said, while the roofs were closed on the centre and second courts. “The Australian Open extreme heat policy has been implemented,” said a statement.
“The roof on Rod laver Arena and Hisense Arena will be closed at the end of the set. Play will be suspended at the end of the set on all outside courts until further notice.”
The move, after two days of soaring temperatures and complaints from players, will bring severe disruption to Thursday’s packed schedule of 32 singles matches plus doubles. Temperatures were forecast to reach 44 Celsius on Thursday, the hottest this week, and remain high on Friday before cooling sharply on Saturday.
The tournament’s opening days have been dominated by problems associated with the heat, with players falling dizzy, fainting and vomiting, and warnings of serious health problems. “Doing physical exercise in this heat is just unbelievable,” said France’s Alize Cornet. “Even for the fans, sitting in the sun must be terrible.”
America’s Varvara lepchenko was the latest victim on Thursday when she had her pulse and blood-pressure checked and was rubbed down with ice by staff during a medical time-out.
With the court too hot to lie on, she was treated while reclining on a row of chairs. Outside the venue, tramlines have buckled in the heat and a state-wide fire ban is in effect. Temperatures had already reached 38 Celsius as play started at 11:00 am, with players shrouding themselves in ice packs and gulping drinks at the changeovers.
Canada’s Frank Dancevic, who hallucinated that he was seeing Snoopy and blacked out during Tuesday’s loss to Benoit Paire, has called conditions “inhumane” and “hazardous”.
Croatia’s Ivan Dodig said he feared he might die after pulling out of his match with Damir Dzumhur with severe cramp on Wednesday. And Chinese player Peng Shuai cramped and vomited in the severe heat. Wimbledon champion Andy Murray has said organisers were risking a serious incident by letting play continue, warning of the chance of a player suffering a heart attack.