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Aus Open under fire for opening roof on scorching Melbourne day

Australian Open officials have come under fire after leaving the Rod Laver Arena roof open to begin the first women’s semi-final on Thursday.

Amid soaring temperatures in parts of the country, Petra Kvitova and Danielle Collins took to the court in Melbourne minutes after the roof was opened to begin play in outdoor conditions.

Demonstrating the potential distress over the next two days, where temperatures in the Victorian capital will reach 40 degrees and beyond, the tournament’s heat stress reading, which determines strategies for cooling and play on overly hot days, read 3.4 at 1.30pm – and quickly jumped.

By the time play began just after 2pm, it had already reached 4.5 to enforce a 10-minute break between the second and third sets.

Petra Kvitova stays cool as Danielle Collins discusses the heat with an official. Pic: Getty
Petra Kvitova stays cool as Danielle Collins discusses the heat with an official. Pic: Getty

The match was eight games old when the reading cracked 5.0, with the roof closed with the score on serve at 4-4.

But many in the tennis world criticised officials for sticking to the rules when the eventual outcome was clear as day:

There were even reminders of the consequences of last year’s women’s final, when runner-up Simona Halep was hospitalised for dehydration:

The roof will remain closed for the remainder of the Kvitova-Collins match.

Meanwhile, play was suspended on outside courts when the heat stress reading reached 5.0.