MELBOURNE, Australia -- It's Day 8 at the Australian Open and that means it's time for the fourth-round action to begin. World No. 1s Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka will return to Rod Laver Arena eyeing their places in the last eight, as will Coco Gauff and top-ranked Australian Alex de Minaur.
Yesterday at Melbourne Park, temperatures hit a scorching 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), forcing organisers to implement the tournament's extreme heat policy. Play was halted on all courts just after 2:30pm local time and only permitted to continue on Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena, and John Cain Arena after roofs were shut. The delay on the outside courts lasted almost five hours.
Day 7 also saw two-time Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka withdraw from the tournament, citing an abdominal injury, while Novak Djokovic was very nearly defaulted for slashing a ball in the direction of a ball kid.
Stay tuned as ESPN's team of reporters bring you all the latest news, results, match schedules, and more from Day 9 at the Australian Open.
