Play at the Australian Open qualifying tournament was delayed until 1:00pm (AEDT) over concerns about air quality as Victoria's chief medical officer urges Tennis Australia (TA) to develop an air quality policy.

Key points: Conditions at Melbourne Park were so smoky yesterday that players complained

Conditions at Melbourne Park were so smoky yesterday that players complained Tennis Australia said it has installed measuring devices for air-quality at Melbourne Park

Tennis Australia said it has installed measuring devices for air-quality at Melbourne Park Racing Victoria has cancelled two race meetings due to conditions being "unsuitable for racing"

The Australian Open said in a statement that conditions were "constantly" being monitored and that "further decisions will be made using the onsite data and in close consultation with our medical team, the Bureau of Meteorology and scientists from EPA Victoria".

However, Victoria's chief health officer Brett Sutton has urged TA to develop an air quality policy, with Dr Sutton saying he was "not sure" if it was appropriate for organisers to continue playing games in intense smoke pollution yesterday, with conditions in Melbourne expected to reach hazardous levels in Melbourne again today.

Dr Sutton was reluctant to pass judgement on TA's decision, noting officials had to weigh the health risks against contractual obligations and sports stars who had flown in from overseas specifically for the tournament.

"I'm not the one to make the call, we do provide the best guidance that we can about what the effects might be," he said.

The second day of qualifying will have a delayed start due to poor air quality. ( AAP: Michael Dodge )

"We're all trying to work out the best approach and there's no 'one size fits all' and you can't have a blanket solution, you need to look at the individual circumstances and what the alternatives are for protecting people.

"They [TA] do have a heat policy, I think they need to plan out an air quality policy in the same way."

Practice at Melbourne Park was also suspended until 11:00am, with tournaments in Traralgon and Bendigo also affected.

On Tuesday, a number of players complained about the conditions, including Australian Bernard Tomic, who sought medical treatment during his first round loss when he struggled to breathe.

Bernard Tomic struggled in his qualifying match. ( AAP: Michael Dodge )

Slovenia's Dalila Jakupovic feared she would pass out before retiring from her match when she collapsed to her knees with a coughing fit.

Play resumed early on Wednesday afternoon, with 16 qualifying matches completed.

Later in the afternoon, a severe thunderstorm swept through Melbourne, bringing much-needed rain to the areas around the city but halting play at Melbourne Park.

With further rain heading for the city visible on the radar, it was not clear when play would resume.

A storm that swept through Melbourne late on Wednesday afternoon brought play to a halt. ( AAP: Scott Barbour )

In the matches completed, Australian wild card Akila Santillan was beaten in straight sets by Frenchman Quentin Halys 6-3, 7-6 (7/4).

Top seed Dennis Novak, from Austria, had few troubles as he defeated German Dustin Brown, 6-3, 6-2, and Canadian third seed Brayden Schnur came from a set down to beat another Austrian, Sebastian Ofner, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

There were 12 matches suspended due to the rain — these included Australia's Kaylah McPhee, who was trailing 2-1 on serve in the final set of her match against Belgian 13th seed Greet Minnen.

McPhee's fellow Australian Jamie Fourlis was level at one set all with China's Fang Yin Xun.

In the men's draw, Sydney teen Rinky Hijikata's tough first-up encounter with second-seeded Swiss Henri Laaksonen was suspended while they were still in the first set.

Another 22 matches were re-scheduled, including first-round matches involving Aussies Olivia Rogowska and Storm Sanders.

Australia is already guaranteed 18 players in the singles main draws, led by women's world number one Ashleigh Barty, with play getting underway on Monday.

Meanwhile, Racing Victoria has cancelled two scheduled meetings at Caufield and Yarra Valley "due to smoke haze and poor air quality" that makes conditions "unsuitable for racing."

On Tuesday, races at Werribee were also cancelled due to the poor air quality.

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