Heat and rain halt play at Australian Open

MELBOURNE :Scorching heat halted outdoor matches, sent fans scurrying for shade and tested the endurance of players on day two at the Australian Open on Tuesday, before rain took over to stop play in the evening at Melbourne Park.

Organisers invoked their Extreme Heat Policy about three hours into the day session as temperatures nudged 36 degrees Celsius (97F) and searing gusts of wind blew through the venue.

The tournament's Heat Stress Scale, which measures radiant heat, humidity and air temperature in the shade, crossed its highest threshold of 5.0, halting 10 outdoor matches at the Grand Slam.

Play continued under the roofs of the main showcourts, however, with former world number one Andy Murray sweating it out before getting past Italian Matteo Berrettini in a five-set thriller at the Rod Laver Arena.

Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia, who beat Katherine Sebov 6-3 6-0 on the main showcourt before Murray's match, said she was not too badly affected by the heat.

"I have to admit on Rod Laver Arena it was pretty nice. Obviously it was warm. It was nice to be able to walk in the shadow a little bit when you were able to serve but I didn't feel that (it was) such warm weather," Garcia said.

"I don't know in the crowd there is some AC or whatever, but it felt warm, but it felt okay."

Play on the outdoor courts resumed after three hours at 5 p.m. local time (0600 GMT) when conditions improved but there was more frustration in store for fans and delays for the players when the rain came down.

The heat delay was not welcomed by all players, with Australian Jordan Thompson blowing his cool when his match on Court Three was halted when trailing American J.J. Wolf 6-3 1-3.

"When does that ever happen?" world number 88 Thompson barked at the