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Tiley Wants Women to Play Best-of-Five Sets at the AO
Australian Open director Craig Tiley proposes best-of-five sets for women’s singles from 2027, pending player approval, aiming to enhance match drama and equality in later rounds.
- On Sunday, Australian Open boss Craig Tiley raised the prospect of extending best-of-five to women's singles and said organisers would 'definitely go in 2027' if agreed after Friday's blockbuster men's semi-final night.
- After Friday's marathon semis featuring Carlos Alcaraz–Alexander Zverev lasting five hours and 27 minutes and Novak Djokovic–Jannik Sinner lasting four hours and nine minutes, Elena Rybakina's Saturday three-set win over Aryna Sabalenka showed women can deliver similar theatre.
- Historically, the WTA season-ending championship used best-of-five from 1984–1998, and Tiley said rules allow the change without grand slam committee approval, requiring deep consultation with competitors.
- The tournament's schedule may shift if the quarters, semis and final move to best-of-five sets, with a Saturday start possible but the 20-day AO format confirmed to stay after this year's success.
- Tiley suggested women may face best-of-five sets from the quarter-finals as soon as next year, noting equal prize money at all four slams and calling the 2026 Open "probably the biggest and best event ever.
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21 Articles
21 Articles
The director of the Australian major Craig Tiley wants to start discussions with the players to increase the games from quarter to five innings.
·Montreal, Canada
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Craig Tiley, director of the Australian Open, said he was in favour of setting up women's games in three winning sets. This change would only come from the quarterfinals and would have to be validated by the players.
·Paris, France
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources21
Leaning Left3Leaning Right6Center2Last UpdatedBias Distribution55% Right
Bias Distribution
- 55% of the sources lean Right
55% Right
L 27%
C 18%
R 55%
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