Tennis: COVID cases on player flights leave Australian Open buildup in disarray

The build-up to next month's Australian Open was thrown into disarray on Saturday when 47 players were forced into two weeks of strict hotel quarantine after coronavirus infections were reported on two chartered flights carrying them to Melbourne.

Two dozen players and their staff landed from Los Angeles to go into quarantine after an aircrew member and a passenger, who was not a player, tested positive for COVID-19.

A further 23 players arriving by a chartered flight from Abu Dhabi met a similar fate after another non-player passenger was found positive, the organisers of the year's first grand slam said in a statement.

The players will "not be able to leave their hotel rooms for 14 days and until they are medically cleared," they said.

"They will not be eligible to practise."

Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas, Mexico's Santiago Gonzalez and New Zealander Artemis Sitak confirmed via social media that they were on the flight from Los Angeles.

According to local media, two-time champion Victoria Azarenka, American former U.S. Open winner Sloane Stephens and Japan's Kei Nishikori were also on the flight.

Another player reportedly on the same plane was Tennys Sandgren, who was granted special permission to travel from Los Angeles late last week after testing positive for the new coronavirus, which he had previously had.

Tennis Australia said in a statement the decision to allow Sandgren to fly had been made after a review by medical officials. A spokesperson for COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria said it was common among people who previously tested positive to "shed viral fragments for some time - which can trigger another positive result".

Tournament director Craig Tiley said: "We are communicating with everyone on this flight, and particularly the playing group whose conditions have now changed, to ensure their needs are being catered to as much as possible."

Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk said that she was on the flight from Abu Dhabi.

Read the news here. : SLOTXO เกมทั้งหมด

---