In spite of the Corona outbreak in an airport Hotel in Melbourne, pulls out a five-day Lockdown to run to the Australian Open as planned, with one exception: as of Saturday are allowed on the system at Melbourne Park, initially for the next five days, no spectators. So far, the audience was allowed, on Thursday 20.010 Tennis Fans had attended the games, and in the process, part of an impressive atmosphere. The upper limit was set for the first days of the tournament to 30,000 visitors per day.
The restrictions come according to the Prime Minister of the Federal state of Victoria, Daniel Andrews, on this Friday at 23: 59 (local time) in the entire state of is in force. Schools and businesses remain in this closed, Restaurants can only offer food to Pick up. In addition, the people may leave their homes only for important things, outside of the four walls of a mask is compulsory. The step was necessary to stop the spread of the “extremely infectious” British Virus variant, said Andrews.
Professional athletes were classified by the government, in the group of the “necessary occupations”.
“We continue to work closely with the government to ensure the health and safety of all Involved,” said tournament Director Craig Tiley. “The players will spend the next five days in a so-called bubble, as it already has for months used to it.” That is, you will only commute between the unit and the Hotel back and forth.
The exclusion of the audience means for the operator a further setback. Prior to the Start of the Grand Slam tournament of Corona had been affected. First of all, more than 70 professionals and carers for two weeks in the Hotel, had to go to quarantine, because it had been on their flights positive Corona cases. Then had more than isolate 500 people for about a day, because of the Hotel was the staff, had been tested positive for the Coronavirus.
In the current outbreak in a quarantined airport Hotel, including employees and members of their families have been infected so far, 13 people.
Serena Williams for a place in the next round
“It is difficult, there are difficult days for everyone,” said Serena Williams on Centre Court, as the new restrictions were open to the public. “We need to do what is Best, and hopefully all will be well,” said the 39-year-old American.
Williams had a hard time in their third-round match against Russian Anastasia Potapowa in the beginning and had to fend off the first set with the score of 3:5 two sets of balls. After winning the first round, they had the game but in the handle and turned to 1:37 hours on her second match point 7:6 (7:5), 6:2.
Williams, in Melbourne’s your 24. Grand Slam title is aiming for, is now in the second round to the strong Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka. Last year’s finalist Garbine Muguruza had the 6:1, 6:1 against Sarina Dijas from Kazakhstan, however, no effort.
Also Zverev wins
Alexander Zverev cruised into the knockout stages. The German number one won against Frenchman Adrian Mannarino 6:3, 6:3, 6:1 and the supernatant thus, at the first Grand Slam tournament of the Tennis season for the third Time in the series the third round. For Zverev, it was in the sixth duel with Mannarino, the sixth victory. Last year alone, the 23-Year-old had won against the left-handed three times.
“The duels in the last year, but they were all tight. I was a bit tired in the beginning, so I tried to play from the beginning, a lot of pressure,” said Zverev after the game. “I wanted to, that you don’t have to be so long in the heat, sit,” he said to the audience.
Zverev, the last remaining German tennis professional in Melbourne, now meets on Sunday either on the Spaniard Pedro Martinez or the number 23 set Serb Dusan Lajovic.
