Last night, Aussies tuned in to the Australian Open day nine, bringing in a Total TV National Reach of 3,258,000 and a National Average Audience of 588,000 for Nine.
Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka were both told that they could not wear their fitness tracking device in their fourth-round matches on Sunday.
That led the manufacturer to hit out at officials, defending the players’ “fundamental right” to track their data in a statement.
“WHOOP believes athletes have a fundamental right to understand their own performance and health — including during competition at events like the Australian Open. WHOOP is approved by the International Tennis Federation for in-match wear and poses no safety, fairness, or competitive risk. Blocking access to personal health data does not protect sport. WHOOP will continue to stand with athletes and our members to defend their right to their data”.
Australian Open allows certain approved products to be worn, but it seems that the ones that Alcaraz and Sabalenka were wearing were not on that list.
Day nine was full of doubles matches on the Melbourne Park agenda. Kim Birrell and Talia Gibson lost the first set in their women’s doubles second-round match against Hanyu Guo and Kristina Mladenovic.
But the second set took an hour and two minutes, which is a very long time in doubles tennis.
Guo called for the trainer with a leg issue, which turned into a full medical timeout. When play resumed, Guo and Mladenovic had all the momentum and got back to 5-2 from 5-0. They were on set point, however, when Guo made a volley at the net. She was left grabbing her back and calling for the trainer again.
Guo came back again, clearly hampered, but they broke the Aussies again for 5-4. Finally, with Guo targeted on serve by both Aussies, Gibson clinched the set with a forehand that hit the net cord and looped over Mladenovic’s racquet and in.
In the end, it was a forehand hit long by a tiring Guo that finished the match 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 as Birrell and Gibson could finally celebrate.
Over on Seven, The Chase Australia raked in a National Average Audience of 693,000.
Channel 10‘s I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! brought in a National Average Audience of 704,000.
ABC‘s broadcast of Australia Day Live 2026 saw a National Average Audience of 481,000.
