Australian Open holds men's doubles final in empty arena: Details
What's the story
The Australian Open has been criticized for scheduling the men's doubles final after the women's singles final.
This led to a near-empty Rod Laver Arena during the men's match, as most of the audience had left after Madison Keys's win over Aryna Sabalenka.
The criticism was especially directed toward the absence of audience for the thrilling match as Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara took on Italian duo of Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori.
Match details
Patten and Heliovaara's thrilling victory in near-empty arena
Despite the sparse crowd, Patten and Heliovaara put up an exciting performance. They came back from a set down to win 6-7, 7-6, 6-3 against their Italian opponents.
The first set alone was a marathon event with the Italian duo winning the tiebreak 18-16.
The match went on for more than three hours as Patten and Heliovaara turned the tables to claim their title.
Fan reactions
Tennis fans express disappointment over Australian Open's scheduling
The late timing of the match raised possible travel concerns for fans who wanted to stay and watch. This triggered a flurry of criticism from tennis fans on Reddit.
One user proposed the men's doubles final should have been scheduled before the women's singles final, while another asked why doubles matches weren't used as a lead-in to the singles finals.
Victory reflections
Patten and Heliovaara reflect on their journey post-victory
Following their victory, Patten thanked everyone who stayed to watch them play. He called their journey "truly special" and praised his partnership with Heliovaara.
Echoing Patten's sentiments, Heliovaara also stressed the importance of a good partner in doubles tennis and thanked them for their off-court friendship that leads to their on-court success.