Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada plays a forehand return to Nuno Borges of Portugal during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada walks from the court after he retired in his first round match against Nuno Borges of Portugal at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Marina Stakusic of Canada is taken from the court in a wheelchair after retiring in her first round match against Priscilla Hon, right, of Australia at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (Joel Carrett/AAP Image via AP)
MELBOURNE - It's been a rough start for Canada's men at the 2026 Australian Open.
A day after Gabriel Diallo of Montreal and Liam Draxl of Newmarket, Ont., lost their opening-round singles matches, Felix Auger-Aliassime was one and done Down Under as well.
Auger-Aliassime, seeded seventh in the major tournament, beat 28-year-old Nuno Borges of Portugal 6-3 in the opener of their best-of-five match on Monday, but then lost 6-4, 6-4 and then retired with the score tied 15-15 in the first game of the fourth set.
The ºÃÉ«tv seemed to struggle with leg cramps through the match.
"I'm OK, but I just started cramping at the start of the third set," Auger-Aliassime said after. "It became very difficult to be competitive at this level. I tried for a set, but yeah, wasn't possible today."
" … I want to be on the court winning. I want to be on the court competing with my opponent. I don't want to be just standing there like a punching bag. So there's no point, and you know to move on."
"I feel for him," said Borges. "I know how he feels to struggle physically and it is part of tennis. I hope he gets better quickly and back to his best level."
Borges advances to play Australian wild card Jordan Thompson in the second round.
Qualifier Marina Stakusic of Mississauga, Ont., was trailing Priscilla Hon of Australia 5-3 in the decisive third set on Monday when she opted to retire after two hours of play.
Stakusic won the opening set 6-1, then lost 6-4 forcing a third and deciding set. About two hours into the match she collapsed in a heap near the baseline.
She left the court in a wheelchair after experiencing severe cramps. Hon helped her into the chair and off the court.
"It's so tough to see, 21 years old, second time she has qualified for a Grand Slam main draw," Hon said after the match. "It's so rough. Really concerning moments.
The ºÃÉ«tv finished with two aces, 20 winners, 34 unforced errors and five double faults. Hon had three aces, two double faults, 22 unforced errors and 22 winners.
Victoria Mboko of Toronto was scheduled to play Emerson Jones of Australia in the first round of women's singles later in the day, while the 21st-seeded Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., was scheduled to play Yunchaokete Bu of China.
This report by ºÃÉ«tvwas first published Jan. 18, 2026.
The ºÃÉ«tv Press. All rights reserved.
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