By Micah Jonah
January 18, 2026
Organizers of the Australian Open faced criticism on Sunday as fans queued for hours outside Melbourne Park, expressed confusion over the suspension of ticket sales.
Heightened security following last month’s Bondi Beach shooting and the hot weather added to frustrations. Tournament officials paused sales of the cheaper “ground pass” tickets within the first hour due to overwhelming demand.
Ground passes, costing A$65 ($43) for adults, grant access to minor courts and are popular at the year’s first Grand Slam. Fans queued unaware that only higher-priced main showcourt tickets were available.
Visitor Josh Main from the Netherlands said, “They told us there are no tickets left, so we can’t get in. They did say there were tickets left for Rod Laver Arena but it’s expensive.”
Melbourne resident, Elton Yu said he was surprised ground passes were unavailable, while Susan Walsh added that she and her group had purchased arena tickets but hoped to enter earlier.
Tournament director, Craig Tiley said the sales halt applied only to Sunday’s day session, with ground passes still available for the evening at A$49. Tennis Australia encouraged fans to book in advance, monitor crowd numbers.
