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The schedule for day seven of the Australian Open has been changed with less than 24 hours' notice due to expected extreme heat. Temperatures are set to reach at least around 37 degrees Celsius on Saturday, with defending champions Jannik Sinner and Madison Keys among those in action.

Australian Open organisers have now decided to start play earlier in the day in order to minimise the effects of the heat in the height of the afternoon. The tournament released a statement on social media warning those with tickets for Saturday to take precautions in the heat.

Men's and women's main draw singles matches typically start at 11.30am local time on the big showcourts, and 11am on the other courts. But organisers have now moved this in a bid to complete the matches before it gets too hot, and will also open the gates earlier.

Main draw singles and doubles ties will be played at the earlier time of 10.30am. The junior boys' and girls' matches were always set to begin at 10am local time. For Madison Keys and Karolina Pliskova, who will face off on Rod Laver Arena, and Jessica Pegula and Oksana Selekhmeteva, who meet on Margaret Court Arena, this means their matches will start an hour earlier than expected.

Lorenzo Musetti's clash with Tomas Machac on John Cain Arena, and Karen Khachanov vs Luciano Darderi on Kia Arena will also start at 10.30am. The second day session matches on all five of those courts are scheduled not before 12pm local time.

In a statement to fans, the Australian Open said: "Due to weather, play across the Australian Open on Saturday 24 January will begin at 10.30am, with no impact to juniors matches (already scheduled to commence at 10am).

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"Please ensure to arrive early and be ready for the updated start times. We encourage everyone to: wear a hat and sunscreen; drink plenty of water throughout the day - refill stations available across the precinct; allow extra time for arrival - gates open at 8.45am; make use of shade and air-conditioned areas inside the Arena concourses."

Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said: "We expect pleasant conditions tomorrow morning, in the mid-20s, and will start play earlier and take advantage of the more temperate conditions."

Organisers added: "The temperature is expected to climb to the low 30s by the middle of the day, and peak in the late afternoon. Everyone coming to the AO should prepare for the heat and take advantage of the increased shade and cooling areas across the site."

The Australian Open uses a heat stress scale (HSS) from one to five, which takes into account four climate factors - air temperature, radiant heat, humidity and wind speed. Cooling interventions and, in extreme cases, suspension of play can be introduced if the scale reaches a certain point.