Source : the age
The Australian Open’s drawing power for stars well beyond sport was demonstrated at the opening Set in Style event on Sunday night when Rebel Wilson and wife Ramona Agruma, who recently married in Sydney, walked in the door of the exclusive O hospitality suite.
The Hollywood couple, whose US home appears to have avoided the Los Angeles fire disaster, posed for photographs and mingled with guests in the bird’s-eye suite which leads out directly to the premium Rod Laver seats.
Jayne Hrdlicka and Rebel Wilson at the Australian Open.Credit: Tennis Australia
Elsewhere, the room was crawling with Melebrities. Open Season spotted everyone from Peter Bol to Bruce and Chyka Keebaugh to Nick and Rozalia Russian and Michael Rowland with wife Nicola Webber to Nick Reece and wife Felicity Pantelidis and on to shoe designer Lana Wilkinson. Jono Castano, author and fitness personality (and Wilson’s one-time personal trainer), was one of the few Sydney ring-ins spotted.
Collingwood captain Darcy Moore, who was accompanied by teammate Matt Lipinski told Open Season that he caught covid just before Christmas. “First time in four years, I thought I was a unicorn,” he said. “It was a rough week.”
Tennis Australia chair Jayne Hrdlicka, the outgoing chief executive of Virgin Australia, told Open Season that 2025 marked the 120th anniversary of the tournament.
“This is going to be the best Australian Open we’ve ever staged. We’re all really excited. We just finished our first week, which is qualifying week, with nearly twice the attendance from last year.”
And to top it all, making a 50 minute fashionably late entrance, was Dannii Minogue.
Murray’s dreadful hit
Earlier, Open Season was not expecting to walk into a marquee and encounter such disparate creatures of the media ecosystem as Sky News presenter Peta Credlin and The Project host Waleed Aly. But that’s exactly what happened when the great and the good gathered to hear Dylan Alcott have a yarn with Sir Andy Murray, the former world No.1, three-time grand slam champion and dual olympic singles gold medallist and now coach to Novak Djokovic.
Murray had been booked to talk about his new UberEats TV campaign until he surprised the tennis world by accepting the coaching gig.
Last week the Scottish champ was with his charge having a hit out in front of the cameras during a practice session.
Andy Murray and Dylan Alcott at the Australian Open.Credit: Eddie Jim
“I don’t know if anyone saw it, but I was dreadful,” Murray told the assembled throng.
Sport is the universal uniter but it turns out fitness can be one as well. Credlin and Aly see each other with surprising regularity as attendees the same eastern suburbs gym. Open Season has confirmed they do not, however, employ the same personal trainer.
Hall in the family
Nine News presenter Jo Hall and sister Paulette Munro cut striking early arrivals at the champagne party at the Piper-Heidsieck bar adjacent to the Rod Laver arena.
“We love the tennis,” Munro declared.
Jo Hall and her sister Paulette Munro at the Australian Open.Credit: Eddie Jim
Hall added their mother had taken them both to the Open “when we were young”.
They have both watched it grow over the years and Munro was bringing her four grandchildren later in the week. “It’s a supreme event now,” Hall said.
Andre’s giant fan from Spring Street
Andre Agassi fan-boy (OK, he’s also acting premier) Ben Carroll was on hand this morning to assist after a ballgirl collapsed during the official opening ceremony which got going 30 minutes after the scheduled start time.
The ball girl was part of a guard of honour and appeared to pass out due to the hot, humid conditions. MC Ian Cover noticed out of the corner of his eye and immediately put his interview with John Newcombe on hold.
After treatment, the ballkid was wheeled away in a wheelchair and later was “100 per cent fine,” the Prem confirmed.
“She had all the medical attention and she’s up and moving. I want to thank all the first aid responders that got there so quickly and made sure of her health and safety.”
And Agassi fanboy? Well, so enamoured was Carroll of the tennis superstar that when the American turned up at last year’s tournament as an ambassador for UberOne, that politician brought along a copy of Agassi’s autobiography Open for the big guy to sign.
And after Sunday morning’s events, if Open Season wanted to hand out merit badges for swiftly showing some humanity to a collapsed kid, tennis legend Evonne Goolagong Cawley, Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley and Carroll would be right at the front of the line.
That said, if anyone had any doubt as to the utter havoc of the 2025 Melbourne Park rain bomb, not only did it stop all matches on outside courts, but it also led the postponement of the AO’s inaugural Andre Agassi lookalike competition, forced to be rescheduled to a future date. When we know more, you will.
Pride aplenty at this party
Big surprise of the Open hit well before the first official serve kicked off proceedings. The annual AO Pride Party took place of course at the AO Courtside Bar on Friday night, where community guests were more than happy with the libations on offer.
That included the official AO cocktail. Is there no facet of the human experience that doesn’t come with an AO stamp nowadays?
That drink is known as a Lemon Ace cocktail and contains sparkling lemonade, passionfruit syrup and vodka, supplied by Grey Goose vodka, who just happen to – yes! – be official AO partners. The event was well supported by AO brass, including Tiley, chief content officer Darren Pearce and chief commercial officer Cedric Cornelis.
In a nice touch, LGBTQ trailblazer, Sydney Olympics beach volleyball gold medallist Natalie Cook OAM was interviewed by international tennis broadcaster Nick McCarvel.
And much to everyone’s surprise – most of all Cook’s – up popped Cook’s Sydney Olympics volleyball partner Kerri Pottharst from 25 years ago, to read a poem in honour of her old mate.
Also present: Drag queen eternal Dolly Diamond, Sport Australia Hall of Fame chief executive Adrianne Sarkozy, Profile talent agent Joseph Hanrahan and AFL legend Eddie Betts.
In a slightly worrisome development for the community, the straight Betts was by far and away the sharpest dresser of the night.
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