Sabalenka and Zverev, despite the heat, reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open

Arina Sabalenka braved the scorching Melbourne sun to beat American teenager Iva Jovic on Tuesday to reach the Australian Open semi-finals, while Alexander Zverev sweat briefly under the roof of Rod Laver Arena before he moved on.

Tournament number one Carlos Alcaraz will avoid the harshest weather conditions on the hottest day of the first Grand Slam of the year, taking on Australia's Alex de Minaur in the evening session after facing Coco Gauff with Elina Svitolina in the fight for a place in the semi-finals.

Sabalenka, seeking her third title in four years, produced a dominant performance to beat her 18-year-old opponent 6-3 6-0 on a scorching Center Court where the roof remained open and heat stress levels were not at their highest.

However, shortly after her victory, tournament organizers implemented an extreme heat policy as temperatures exceeded 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), leading to the suspension of play on the outer courts and the closing of roofs on the main courts.

The four-time Grand Slam champion was less pleased with the ban on wearable fitness-tracking devices at the Australian Open after some players were told to take them off before matches.

LOW ATTENDANCE

Temperatures reached 45 degrees Celsius around 4:30 p.m. and there were virtually no fans in the stands at the usually bustling stadium. The afternoon session was attended by 21,226 people, less than half the 50,010 people in the corresponding session on Monday.

Although the decision to close the roof made things easier for the players, Zverev failed to feel comfortable in the match against Lerner Thien, losing the second set to the American and forcing the fourth to a tie-break.

Despite the difficulties, Zverev said he was confident of defeating Thien in what he described as ideal conditions.

“With the air conditioning today it’s a stable 24 degrees,” he added.

“This is great. I would really like to play under a roof in every match, so it was not difficult. It was physically difficult, but given the weather conditions it was not difficult.”

The German tennis player, seeded third and finishing second last year after Jannik Sinner, secured victory., opens a new tabVictory with a score of 6-3 6-7(5) 6-1 7-6(3) will preserve the chances of winning the first trophy Grand Slam, and in the future, perhaps, he will meet with Alcaraz.

De Minaur will be looking to ensure his name is not the Spaniard's in the semi-final as the local favorite continues his bid to become the first Australian to lift the Norman Brookes Cup since Mark Edmondson's triumph exactly five decades ago.

Xrust Sabalenka and Zverev, despite the heat, reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open