Australian city Melbourne begins 3rd lockdown due to cluster
(AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)MELBOURNE โ Melbourne, Australiaโs second-largest city, will begin its third lockdown on Friday due to a rapidly spreading COVID-19 cluster centered on hotel quarantine. The five-day lockdown will be enforced across Victoria state to prevent the virus spreading from the state capital, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said. Only international flights that were already in the air when the lockdown was announced will be allowed to land at Melbourne Airport. Federal lawmakers were on Friday rushing to get to the national capital Canberra to attend Parliament on Monday for fear that the Australian Capital Territory government will restrict their entry. Morrison said before the lockdown was announced that he was confident the state government could handle the cluster.
No crowds, but Australian Open will continue during lockdown
Fans cheer for Australia's Nick Kyrgios, back to camera, during his third round match against Austria's Dominic Thiem at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Feb. 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Hamish Blair)MELBOURNE โ The Australian Open will be allowed to continue but without crowds for at least five days after the Victoria state government imposed a snap lockdown starting Saturday in response to a COVID-19 outbreak at a quarantine hotel. Andrews said the Feb. 8-21 Australian Open could continue โbecause these people are at their workplace.โโIt will be happening, but thereโll be no one there watching it," he said. Under the initial plan for the Australian Open, the government allowed up to 30,000 people daily the first week at Melbourne Park, or about 50% of capacity. Most of those were during a second deadly wave last year when a hard lockdown was put in place in Melbourne.
Australian Open: No-look shot in Serena's win; COVID fan ban
Competition at the year's first Grand Slam tournament will be allowed to continue, but no fans can attend as of Saturday. Hopefully it will be all right.โA year ago, Williams dropped just three games against Potapova in the first round. But the 2016 Wimbledon junior champion double-faulted five times in that game, including twice on set point. 8 Diego Schwartzman became the highest-seeded man to lose so far, eliminated 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 by Aslan Karatsev, a qualifier from Russia ranked 114th and making his Grand Slam debut at age 27. AdIn other action, 2020 U.S. Open runner-up Alexander Zverev won in straight sets and now takes on No.
Coco Gauff wins in US Open main draw debut
It had been five years since a player won a main draw match at the US Open prior to their 16th birthday; the last player to do it was CiCi Bellis. Gauff, the youngest player in the draw, trailed by a set and a break. The youngest player in the draw, Gauff is making her US Open debut as a wild card. In 2018, Gauff won the US Open girls' doubles title with McNally. 28 seed Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain, retired after Babos won the first set 6-2.