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The 2022 Australian Open women's semi-finals in January will be staged during the prime-time night session for the first time in 100 years at Melbourne Park.

The Australian Open women's tennis semi-finals will be staged at night for the first time in 100 years.

Tennis Australia announced the scheduling shift on Friday, with the both semi-finals to take place at Melbourne Park in the prime-time evening sessions on Thursday, January 27.

The men's semi-finals will take place the following day - mid-afternoon and at night.

Tennis is the leading global individual sport in which women receive equal pay and Australian Open chief Craig Tiley said Tennis Australia was intent on ensuring the world's best female athletes share the limelight in Melbourne.

The fixturing shake-up will come on the 100th anniversary of the first-ever women's Australian Open in 1922.

It also comes 12 years after the AO women's final was moved to Saturday night in 2009.

"As we celebrate 100 years of women's competition at what is now the Australian Open, I'm delighted to further showcase the women's game by scheduling the semi-finals in the prime-time TV spot of Thursday night," Tiley said.

"We are incredibly fortunate in tennis to not only have great athletes in our sport, but tremendous personalities and role models.

"This includes our very own world No.1 and Wimbledon champion Ash Barty, recent two-time AO champion Naomi Osaka, the incredible Serena and Venus Williams, Victoria Azarenka, Kim Clijsters, Li Na ... the list of inspirational women in tennis is long, and they are all extraordinary."