Overview
- Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley proposed making women’s singles best-of-five from the quarterfinals onward, citing fan appetite after marathon men’s semifinals.
- Tiley says the Australian Open can introduce the change without grand slam committee approval, noting majors already differ on certain match rules.
- He emphasized no decision has been made and promised extensive talks with players, acknowledging mixed views and past pushback that halted a 1990s plan.
- Broadcasters and schedulers are expected to raise concerns over longer, less predictable match windows, even as parity advocates revisit the format debate.
- The idea is part of wider reforms Tiley is canvassing, including removing the umpire’s chair, ending lets on serve, shortening warmups, and upgrading benches into performance centers.