MELBOURNE, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Australian Open organisers came under fire on a record-breaking opening day on Sunday as frustrated fans sweated in long queues and complained of confusion over a halt in ticket sales.
The year's opening Grand Slam saw 73,235 people come through the gates in the first day session at a heaving Melbourne Park, smashing the record of 68,883 set during the 2019 Australian Open.
Plenty more fans were turned away in disappointment after officials paused sales of the cheaper"ground pass" tickets within the first hour of play due to intense demand.
Ground passes, which cost A$65 ($43) for adults during day sessions, allow largely unfettered access to the minor courts and are hugely popular at the tournament.
Amid heightened security at the event in the wake of the Bondi Beach shooting in Sydney last month, hundreds of spectators spent long waits in snaking queues outside the gates, some getting frustrated under a hot sun.
Once inside, there were more long queues at the minor courts for fans hoping to catch a glimpse of Grand Slam tennis.
Tournament director Craig Tiley confirmed in the morning that only the more expensive tickets to the main showcourts were available but many fans were left in the dark as they waited for long periods outside the venue.
Josh Main, a visitor from the Netherlands, said the experience was a letdown during a family trip that coincided with the Grand Slam.
“We went to look for tickets but there was a big line, so I thought, are we in the right line?” he told Reuters. “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 we’re not going to sit there today and it’s expensive ... I think they said it was 300 bucks or something."
Local fans also voiced disappointment, with Melbourne resident Elton Yu surprised to find ground passes unavailable.
“Never expected to not have any tickets for the ground pass which I always do,” he told Reuters.
Susan Walsh, another Melbourne resident, said she and her group had already purchased arena tickets but hoped to enter earlier.
“We tried to buy a ground pass and they just told us it was only tickets that were $229 per person,” she said. “Didn’t want to spend that much money ... So, a bit disappointed.”
Tiley said the sales halt was just for the Sunday day session and ground passes were available for the evening.
“We’ve had to pause them because obviously we want people to come on site and have a great time,” he told reporters.
"There’s still the 'After 5' (o'clock) ground passes available, which is A$49, come on-site for that."
Governing body Tennis Australia (TA) said fans were encouraged to book in advance and that crowd numbers were constantly monitored at Melbourne Park.
"Tickets will become available as capacity allows," a spokeswoman said in a statement to Reuters.
Since suffering huge losses due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Australian Open has recovered to become a commercial juggernaut generating hundreds of millions of dollars to fund the local game.
A record 1.28 million fans attended the tournament last year, up from 1.11 million in the previous year.
Organisers expect another record total attendance this year.
($1 = 1.4970 Australian dollars)
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Additional reporting by Cordelia Hsu; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
