![\"Next](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/melbourne-australia-the-ao-logo-near-rod-laver-arena-ahead-of-the-2026-australian-open-at-6714538.jp.jpeg\" "\\"Next"){kind=logo}
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Next year’s Australian Open could feature best-of-five-set matches for women (Image: Getty)<\/p>\n
Australian Open<\/a> director Craig Tiley has revealed that best-of-five-set matches could be introduced in the women’s tournament next year. Such a move would make it the first Grand Slam to impose equal terms on men and women regarding the number of sets played. It comes after the men’s semi-finals provided incredible entertainment at Melbourne Park on Friday.<\/p>\n Carlos Alcaraz<\/a> needed all five sets to beat Alexander Zverev<\/a>, with the young Spaniard overcoming cramp to squeeze over the line. There was a huge surprise in the other semi-final as Novak Djokovic<\/a> edged a five-set thriller to knock out defending champion Jannik Sinner<\/a>. Tiley was enthralled by the action and has suggested that women’s matches could be played in a similar format next year.<\/p>\n Under the proposal, matches would be extended to best-of-five sets from the quarter-finals onwards in an attempt to make the action more exciting.<\/p>\n Tiley, however, insisted the change would only go ahead following extensive consultation with players to ensure everybody is on the same page.<\/p>\n “You can\u2019t replicate that [men\u2019s] semi-final day, that was amazing,” he told AAP. “I\u2019m still getting chills just thinking about it, and then you can\u2019t replicate that final last night on the women\u2019s side. It was unbelievable.<\/p>\n “One of the things I\u2019ve been saying now is that I think there should be three out of five sets for women. We should look at the last few matches, the quarters and the semis and the finals, and make the women\u2019s side three out of five.<\/p>\n “It\u2019s something we should put on the agenda and start talking to the players about because there\u2019s some matches in those last rounds which would have been fascinating had they been three out of five sets.<\/p>\n “Now I don\u2019t know whether the players would want to do it or not, but it is something we need to consider on the women\u2019s side. Certainly if we\u2019re going to do it and we think it\u2019s the right thing, we\u2019ll definitely go in 2027.<\/p>\n Craig Tiley says the change may be introduced if players are on board (Image: Getty)<\/p>\n “There\u2019s nothing in the rules stopping that from happening, but we need to do it with really deep consultation with the players.<\/p>\n “There are going to be people who say this is ridiculous and others who say it is a good idea. The idea is to have a discussion.”<\/p>\n Back in 1994, the Australian Open<\/a> announced that the following year’s women’s final would be contested over five sets after Steffi Graff thrashed Arantxa Sanchez in under 60 minutes to clinch the title.<\/p>\n However, those plans were ultimately scrapped and women have always contested three-set matches in Grand Slam tournaments since then.<\/p>\n There is likely to be opposition to Tiley’s latest proposal, with Aryna Sabalenka<\/a> among those to have expressed a desire to retain the current format.<\/p>\n Speaking at Wimbledon<\/a> last year, she said: “Probably physically I’m one of the strongest ones, so maybe it would benefit me, but I think I’m not ready to play five sets.<\/p>\n “I think it’s too much on the woman’s body. I think we’re not ready for this amount of tennis. I think it would increase the amount of injuries, so I think this is not something I would consider.”<\/p>\n Stay up-to-date with the latest Tennis news Join us on WhatsApp<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Craig](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/melbourne-australia-craig-tiley-tournament-director-of-the-australian-open-looks-on-at-the-6714545.j.jpeg\" "\\"Craig")
<\/p>\n