UPDATE 02:25pm AEDT: It looks like the Australian Open have provided incorrect information to those buying tickets.
Hi Steve, the information wasn’t complete on the graphic. It should have read: women’s semifinals and men’s semifinals.
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) December 22, 2020
Original Article:
Pre-sale tickets for the Australian Open went on sale today for some parties, and it may have revealed a big change to the scheduling of the tournament.
For years, many have questioned the scheduling of the men’s and women’s semi finals. The women were forced to play during the day on the Thursday, out of the prime time spotlight. This paved the way for one men’s semi final taking place on Thursday night, and the other on Friday night.
Courtesy of @EatSleepTennis, it looks like we may be in line for a change in 2021.
Interesting revelation from the Australian Open. It looks like both Men’s Semi Finals will now be played on the same day (Friday – Day 12). A great result for fairness when it comes to the final.
— Eat Sleep Tennis Podcast (@EatSleepTennis) December 22, 2020
At present on the ticket pre-sale, “Women’s Semi Finals” is listed for Thursday night, whilst Friday night is listed as “Men’s Semi Finals”
Why is this a great result? Well there are a couple of reasons:
- The women get the prime time spot on Thursday, a much-deserved spot.
- No male competitor receives a 24-hour rest advantage leading into the final.
It is important to ensure breaks are similar, especially considering the impact the weather can have on some matches as well in January/February.
Whilst it has not yet been confirmed by Tennis Australia, this is a great sign heading into the 2021 edition of the Australian Open.