Melbourne's Air Quality Is So Bad They Just Delayed the Aus Open Qualifier

Smoke is affecting the players.

The conditions at the Australian Open qualifying tournament in Melbourne yesterday were so smoky that a number of tennis players complained, with Slovenia's Dalila Jakupovic forced to retire from her qualifying match against Switzerland's Stefanie Vögele after suffering a coughing fit. Umpires and officials spoke to the player before escorting her off the court and cancelling the game. 

Other players including Eugiene Bouchard and Maria Sharapova also struggled with the smoke lingering over Melbourne Park, where the tournament is taking place. 

Smoke from the bushfires in east Victoria and New South Wales travelled into the city, causing the air quality to drop to "hazardous" levels in suburbs across Melbourne. As reported by ABC, Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said paramedics had responded to more than 100 callouts for people struggling to breathe.

Today, the Australian Open organisers have imposed a three-hour delay to the start of the qualifying matches. Play will now begin at 1.00pm AEDT.

Tennis Australia said in a statement, "Practice has been suspended until 11am due to air quality concerns, and play won't start before 1pm." Health authorities expect the air quality to bounce between the "very poor" to "hazardous" ranges. 

"Conditions at Melbourne Park are being constantly monitored and further decisions will be made using the on-site data and in close consultation with our medical team, the Bureau of Meteorology and scientists from EPA Victoria". 

Despite the delay, players are still questioning whether the tournament should go ahead while Melbourne's air quality remains so poor. 

"We are all p*ssed and a bit disappointed because we thought they would take better care of us," Jakupovic told reporters. 

Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina also expressed her concern by posting a screenshot of yesterday's air quality in Melbourne on Twitter. 

The Grand Slam is due to begin on Monday. 

Additionally, Racing Australia has also made the decision to cancel two scheduled meetings at Caulfield and Yarra Valley. 

Read more about how to stay safe from air pollution during bushfire season here. 

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