Australian tennis fans have demanded refunds after being banned from Australian Open main matches because the tournament's new virtual queuing technology failed.
John Cain Arena and Margaret Court Arena use a virtual queuing system to manage unreserved seating at the Australian Open.
Introduced in 2024, this system allows fans with ground passes to scan a QR code displayed in arenas and add them to a waiting list.
When seats become available, fans will be notified by SMS and will have 30 minutes to claim their spot.
The virtual queue aims to reduce physical wait times, allowing attendees to explore Melbourne Park's amenities while waiting for a seat.
However, technical issues involving a QR code disrupted the system at John Cain Arena from the third day of the tournament, leading to the implementation of a manual wristband process.
Unreserved ticket holders were forced to queue for wristbands after the virtual queuing system at the Australian Open crashed.
Fans had to line up for wristbands under a manual system to watch games at John Cain Arena.
Fans had to obtain wristbands at designated times to access the arena, causing confusion and dissatisfaction among attendees.
The bracelets were sold out on Tuesday before Australian Alexei Popyrin took the court.
The system failed again on Thursday, leaving many fans excluded from premium matches because organizers had run out of wristbands or had not been able to physically queue during the day to get one.
Organizers posted signs at John Cain Arena warning spectators of the situation, but it only served to enrage fans.
“The virtual queue for arena passes is temporarily closed,” they said.
“While you wait, enjoy tennis action on the giant screens at the Grand Slam Oval or Garden Square.”
In a statement provided to News Corp, Tennis Australia said: 'There was an issue with virtual queuing technology at JCA this morning.
'Staff admitted fans manually and the game started on time. The supplier has resolved the problem.'
The failure of the virtual queuing system aggravated the already long waiting times
Australian Open organizers have yet to comment on the problems they have experienced with the virtual queuing system.
However, frustrated tennis fans have taken to social media to criticize organizers over the situation, with many asking for refunds on Thursday night.
“The wristband system used at the John Cain Arena for the #AusOpen is horrible, if the virtual queue goes down then it goes back to the traditional queue,” raged one fan.
'This system allows many empty seats and unreserved people to be turned away from those seats simply because of a wristband.
“There is also no mention of any wristband system when purchasing tickets – many night passes would not have been sold if people were aware of this flawed system.”
“Their wristband system doesn't allow night pass holders to access reserved seats,” fumed another.
“All wristbands sell out before 5pm when night pass holders can access it,” one commenter wrote.
“Just make it a fines court and stop doing this stupidity Craig,” posted another in reference to Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley.
Australian Open tournament officials and Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley (pictured) have not spoken about the flaws of the virtual queuing system.
To compound the situation, a severe storm caused the suspension of games on outdoor courts, leading more spectators to seek seats in indoor stadiums such as John Cain Arena.
The Australian Open is not the first major event in Australia to experience issues with virtual queuing technology.
During the 2023 pre-sale of Taylor Swift's 'Eras' Australian tour, demand overwhelmed the systems, with four million fans joining a virtual queue for 450,000 tickets.
Pre-sale tickets sold out within two hours, but fans looking for affordable tickets faced additional challenges. They were told to book by phone or email rather than through the Ticketek platform, leaving many unsure.
The situation sparked calls from disability advocates to boycott events that do not provide inclusive access.
“You have to call a special line and then leave a message, and then wait for a call back when someone has time to call you back,” said Dane Cross, Senior Advocacy and Access Adviser at Spinal Life Australia.
“It has been such a bad experience in the past that I have decided not to attend the events.”