Massive crowds are pouring into Melbourne Park, with tennis officials calling on eager fans to have tickets ready to help ease congestion and keep lines flowing.
Tensions ran high on the first day of the main draw after ground pass sales were suspended amid record-breaking day-session crowds.
More than 73,000 fans flooded Melbourne Park, with many left stranded in winding lines for up to two hours before getting inside.
Angry fans took to social media to vent their frustration over lengthy waits, with some missing the opening matches of their arena sessions.
Ground pass tickets were quickly suspended, with only the more expensive tickets to the main show courts available.
Tennis Australia and tournament boss Craig Tiley acknowledged the disappointment, saying crowds exceeded even the organisation's expectations.
He urged fans to come prepared and have ground passes and other tickets ready to help speed up entry
"It's unusual that it was the first day for us," he told Nine's Today Show.
"Our fans have done a great job and to help us on the on the journey, we remind our fans also to make sure they download their passes."
Tiley added that extra resources have been deployed to ensure a seamless entry into the grounds.
Queues could be seen at the Birrarung Marr Entrance on Monday morning, although they quickly settled down after midday.
John Parr, travelled from Brisbane to attend the event, and caught a glimpse of the lengthy lines online.
He was pleased to see that some lines had calmed.
"It's the Australian Open, the queuing is part of the experience," Parr told AAP.
"But I am buying my ticket online in the shade... and I'll be able to wonder in."
Jason Kettle described his overall experience as positive after attending the event on Sunday.
He's back for more tennis, but was happy to see there was no line upon entry.
"It's good to see no lines and I'll be interested to see what numbers for attendance," the fan said.
Tennis Australia confirmed Sunday's attendance had passed the previous record of 68,883 set on the middle Saturday in 2019.
The tournament has expanded into a three-week extravaganza in 2026, with the grand slam introducing an "opening week" that includes qualifying.
The move has paid off for TA, with attendance soaring to a record 217,999, smashing the previous mark of 116,528 set in 2025.
TA encourages attendees to pre-buy tickets and sign up for the "express entry" queue to ease congestion.
