Play suspended for three hours at Australian Open due to extreme heat

Aryna Sabalenka uses an ice pack at Melbourne Park (Aaron Favila/AP)

Play was suspended for three hours at the Australian Open on Tuesday afternoon because of extreme heat.

With the temperature into the mid-30s, the tournament’s heat stress scale, which also takes into account humidity and wind speed, hit five just after 2pm, meaning play was stopped on the outside courts.