Women are now complaining about new Australian Open scheduling that often left them waiting until the late hours to play the second evening match on five of the seven first nights of the Grand Slam.
“I think equal’s equal, and it’s absolutely right that the women should have to play second. It’s not fair that the guys are always playing second,” said new WTA boss Stacy Allaster. “The number of matches we have on (showcase Rod Laver arena) is about 50-50, and this was a new policy.”
But five of seven in the first week?
“I’d like to see them make a little tweak and try and have a bit more balance,” Allaster said.
The running order was changed for this edition to ensure that the most prominent match of any evening was played first in an effort to eliminate the post-midnight men’s finishes at Melbourne Park, which have drawn fire in recent editions.
The administrator also joined in the complaints about Seven network local coverage of the major, which included cutting away from a Serena Williams-Sam Stosur match to run the evening news and the popular Home and Away soap opera.
“It’s a little surprising,” said Allaster. “News is a major driver of ratings, it’s business, and we understand that, but what typically happens is we get to go to another channel.
“If you’re watching the US Open and you can’t finish the match on ESPN, you’re going to go to ESPN2 or the Tennis Channel. I don’t know the other platforms available, but I’m sure Tennis Australia’s looking at that.”
rounak