World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka has called on grand slam tournament organisers to overturn their controversial ban on fitness trackers.
The Belarusian overcame searing heat and the challenge of US teen prodigy Iva Jovic to win 6-3 6-0 and become the first player through to the Australian Open semi-finals on Tuesday.
As soon as the match finished, officials ordered that the roof be closed on Rod Laver Arena as the temperature approached 40C and the Heat Stress Scale (HSS) was enacted.
"I knew going into this match that they wouldn't let us play on in crazy heat," said Sabalenka.
"If (the HSS) reached 5, they would definitely close the roof, so I knew that they were protecting us and our health.
"Anyway, when we finished it was 4.4, so it was quite hot.
"It's OK. I'm happy that I managed."
Earlier in the tournament, Sabalenka and men's world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz were among the players ordered to remove fitness tracking bands worn on the wrist.
"The reason why I was wearing that on court is because we received an email that we got approval from the ITF (International Tennis Federation) to wear this device," said Sabalenka.
"I didn't know that the grand slams didn't come to the same conclusion.
"I don't understand why because the whole year we are wearing them in WTA tournaments, all the tournaments I play we wear Whoop (devices).
"It's just for tracking my health. I don't understand why the grand slams are not allowing us to wear it and I really hope that they will reconsider the decision and let their players track their health monitor."
The win over Jovic - who was contesting her maiden grand slam quarter-final - moved Sabalenka within one victory of a fourth straight Australian Open final appearance.
Sabalenka lifted the AO title in 2023 and 2024, before losing last year's title match to American Madison Keys.
The four-time major champion has won 25 of her past 26 matches at Melbourne Park and will next play resurgent 12th seed Elina Svitolina after the Ukrainian eliminated world No.3 Coco Gauff in Tuesday night's second semi-final.
Svitolina needed less than an hour to dispatch Gauff, the reigning French Open champion, 6-1 6-2 to reach her maiden AO semi-final, three years after becoming a mother.
"It means the world to me," the 31-year-old said, having lost her previous three Melbourne Park quarter-finals and confirming a return to the world's top 10.
"I try to push myself. I try to give myself this motivation to continue and I'm very pleased with the performance at this tournament in Australia.
"Overall, it's been a good trip for me and I'm really happy to go through for my next for my semi-final."
Sabalenka also beat another rising teen star, Canada's Victoria Mboko, in the round of 16.
"That's two teenagers who have tested me in the last couple of rounds," said Sabalenka, who has yet to drop a set in five matches this year at Melbourne Park.
"She (Jovic) is an an incredible player and it was a tough match.
"Don't look at the score because it wasn't easy at all.
"She played incredible tennis."
The 29th-seeded Jovic, 18, was the lowest-ranked men's or women's player to reach the last eight at Melbourne Park at a tournament which has pretty much gone to script in the opening 10 days.
She was the youngest woman to reach the AO quarter-finals since Nicole Vaidosova at 17 years and eight months in 2007 and the youngest to do so without dropping a set since Venus Williams, at 17 years and six months, in 1998.
Before progressing to the senior ranks, Jovic won the prestigious Orange Bowl junior tournament, as well as girls' doubles titles at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
