Smoke haze and poor air quality caused by wildfires temporarily suspended practice sessions for the Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Tuesday, but qualifying began later in the morning in “very poor” conditions and amid complaints by at least one player who was forced to forfeit her match.
At the Kooyong Classic exhibition in Melbourne, former No.1-ranked Maria Sharapova struggled in the heat and smoke and her match against Laura Siegemund was called off late in the second set.
Siegemund won the first set in a tiebreaker but players and officials decided to stop play at 5-5 in the second.
The umpire said both players are feeling the smoke so we are going to stop the match at this point.
At Melbourne Park, Slovenian Dalila Jakupovic was leading her first-round Australian Open qualifying match against Switzerland’s Stefanie Voegele when she dropped to her knees with a coughing spell.
Ranked 180th, Jakupovic was a setup and one point away from a tiebreaker in the second set when she experienced breathing difficulties and retired from the match.
Jakupovic told Australian Associated Press she was really scared that I would collapse. The physio came again and I thought it would be better.
But the points were a bit longer and I just couldn’t breathe anymore and I just fell on the floor.
Jakupovic said it was “not fair” that officials asked players to take the court in those conditions.
