“Utter madness”: Australian Open thriller drags past 3am
<p dir="ltr">Day five of the Australian Open has seen a nail-biting match between Russian champion Daniil Medvedev and Finnish player Emil Ruusuvuori drag on until 3:30am. </p>
<p dir="ltr">The epic match would’ve lasted even longer, if Medvedev didn’t blow away Ruusuvuori in the fifth set, claiming his victory and winning 3-6 6-7 6-4 7-6 6-0.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Before the Australian Open began, the ATP and WTA introduced new rules that would force night sessions to begin prior to 7:30pm and prevent matches from going on court after 11pm.</p>
<p dir="ltr">However, the Australian Open is not bound by these rules meaning that when Medvedev and Ruusuvuori stepped on court at 11:15pm, there was little chance of them finishing anytime before the early hours of the morning. </p>
<p dir="ltr">The match was already in its fourth hour before the fifth set began at 3:20am, as Ruusuvuori lost his steam in the final set. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Speaking after the match, Medvedev paid tribute to the fans who stuck around, saying he wouldn’t be among them if he didn’t have to play.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Honestly guys, I would not be here,” Medvedev said. “Thanks for staying.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">“If I’d have been a tennis fan and I had come, at 1 I’d be ‘okay, let’s go home, we’ll catch the end of the match on the TV, we’ll watch 30 minutes and then go to bed’.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">“So I guess thanks guys, you are strong.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">Sports fans and commentators echoed Medvedev’s statements online, as journalist Ryan Sidle wrote on X that the match has descended into “utter madness”. </p>
<p dir="ltr">The epic showdown now makes it two years in a row that an Australian Open match has gone into the early hours of the morning, with Thanasi Kokkinakis and Andy Murray taking their AO battle to 4am in the 2023 competition. </p>
<p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>
