When the match started in the morning the temperature was already 30 degrees Celsius, and Canada’s Leyla Fernandez was happy to see French veteran Alize Cornet in straight sets in the first match on Court 3.
“I think I’ve done well to manage my emotions, and then especially try to manage the heat,” Fernandez told reporters.
“So I was very happy with that.”
Extreme heat is a feature of the Australian Open, held in the country in mid-summer, with play sometimes being postponed and organizers left with scheduling headaches.
Tennis Australia changed its excessive heat policy in late 2018 after a number of players complained of health and safety risks under the previous system.