Frustrated fans told not to bother queuing, demand refunds in tech fail at Aus Open

Fans trying to get into John Cain Arena were told not to even bother waiting as a technical issue continues to plague the Open.

Frustrated tennis fans queuing at John Cain Arena were told that waiting to get a seat is basically a lost cause and to focus their efforts on getting a seat at another court on Thursday.

That’s because the virtual queue system remained broken on day five of the Australian Open, with a less effective manual wristband system being used instead.

People with unreserved seats needed to get their hands on a pink wristband at about 2pm on Thursday, Australian Open staff told those waiting to enter the night session at 5pm.

A queue of people at John Cain Arena were advised to not bother waiting on Thursday night if they had not collected a wristband earlier in the day.

Those with wristbands can enter and exit the stadium for however long they like, as many times as they like, meaning those without wristbands likely can’t get in even if there are empty seats.

News.com.au witnessed some ticket holders asking on Thursday how they could get refunds, while other disappointed fans couldn’t believe they weren’t told about the wristband system earlier.

Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis won the men’s doubles final on Rod Laver Arena in 2022. Picture: Mark Stewart

Fans required this wristband on Tuesday night to get a seat in John Cain Arena. A pink one was required on Thursday.

The virtual queue, which was introduced in 2024, allowed tennis fans with a night ground pass to scan a QR code to be added to a waitlist.

When a seat became available inside the arena, they would get a text message and have 30 minutes to get there before someone else was given the spare seat instead.

The objective was to reduce physical queues and encourage fans to shop and eat around Melbourne Park while they waited.

Tennis Australia did not respond to requests for comment about the virtual queuing system when asked by news.com.au this week.

Originally published as Frustrated fans told not to bother queuing, demand refunds in tech fail at Aus Open