Bill Gates, far from the Epstein files' nosy questions, was spotted in premium seats at the Australian Open, enjoying the warm glow of Aussie approval. The billionaire was seen with AO mixed doubles champion Jordan Peers, who he met through his partner, Paula Hurd. On Friday, Gates and his partner watched the men's doubles final together, just days after he was seen with Sarah Murdoch, wife of media executive Lachlan Murdoch.
However, a recent headline claimed that Bill Gates was caught with an STD from Russian girls, according to the Epstein files. Gates denied these claims through a spokesman. Perhaps this is why he chose to isolate himself in the premium seats during the tournament.
Meanwhile, the Australian Open's women's final was a star-studded affair. Premier Jacinta Allan, accompanied by her squad of top female ministers, Natalie Hutchins and Ros Spence, graced the guest list at Tennis Australia's exclusive corporate zone, 'O'. Allan sat next to Georgina Dent, CEO of Parenthood and childcare advocate, discussing childcare policies over wagyu carpaccio.
The token male, union boss Luke Hilakari, joined the table discussion, and pop star Wu Chun, a former member of Fahrenheit, was also present. Chun, a Taiwanese Mandopop vocal quartet boy band member, was afforded the rare honour of making it onto the premier's Instagram grid.
Other notable attendees included Boost Juice founder Janine Allis, former Salesforce and Microsoft Australia CEO Pip Marlow, and Jayne Hrdlicka, CEO of booze giant Endeavour and former chair of Tennis Australia. Allis, who moved from Melbourne to Sydney, enjoyed being back for the tennis and to visit her son and dogs.
Tennis legends Judy Dalton and Margaret Court, once heavily criticised for her conservative Christian views, were also spotted. Former premiers John Brumby and Steve Bracks, along with Major Events Minister Steve Dimopoulos, balanced out the girl power at 'O'.
The tournament's signature Lemon Ace cocktail was sold out, including in the O enclosure, so Grey Goose had better ferment some more potatoes to quench the crowd's thirst.
Elsewhere, former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian, now managing director of enterprise and business at telco Optus, hosted a group including Vic Chamber of Commerce CEO Sally Curtain. Berejiklian's beau, barrister Arthur Moses, was also in attendance.
The Emirates marquee's star was set to be the airline's global CEO, Sir Tim Clark, but he had a cold. Penny Fowler, the Murdoch family ambassador, was a guest at Emirates with her daughter-in-law, Lulu, as was Sigrid Thornton and Geoffrey Rush. Nine, the official tournament broadcaster, hosted a private pre-finals dinner on its Court Nine Terrace, with Nine stars and former players Todd Woodbridge and Jelena Dokic entertaining guests.
Finally, the nonagenarian Chadstone shopping centre billionaire John Gandel can lay a strong claim to being the GOAT of Rod Laver Arena superfan. He and his wife Pauline stayed in their premium seats until 1.32 am on Saturday morning, long after many others had left, including Eddie McGuire, Xander McGuire, Sarah Abo, Jayne Hrdlicka, Jane Hansen, and Paul Little.
