Seventh seed Felix Auger-Aliassime retired due to cramp during his first-round match at the Australian Open on Monday. Portugal’s Nuno Borges led 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 when the Canadian could not continue.
Auger-Aliassime, 25, reached the semi-finals of last year's US Open and was seeking to begin the 2026 major season in similar form. But struggling with his upper left leg, Auger-Aliassime called a medical time out late in the third set and again received treatment before the start of the fourth set. After playing two points in the fourth set, Auger-Aliassime retired.
"I'm okay, but I just started cramping at the start of the third set," Auger-Aliassime said. "It became very difficult to be competitive at this level. I tried for a set, but yeah, wasn't possible today."
“I feel for him,” Borges said of Auger-Aliassime. “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.
“It’s a great win for me either way. I thought I competed well. Maybe if he was 100 per cent, it would’ve been a different score, but I’m really happy to push through this one and get another opportunity on Wednesday.”
Borges, who reached the fourth round in Melbourne in 2024, will next meet Juan Manuel Cerundolo or Aussie wild card Jordan Thompson. The 28-year-old Borges made the third round last year before falling to Carlos Alcaraz in four sets.
Auger-Aliassime believes he began cramping in the third set, but admitted it is tough to recall.
"Obviously you don't panic. You think, 'Oh, maybe it was just one bad movement or one jump that didn't feel right'," Auger-Aliassime said. "But then as I started moving left and right, having to sprint, and every time I cramped, you know what's happening."
It is not the first time Auger-Aliassime has cramped, so he was aware of what was happening. But that did not make it any less disappointing.
"I want to be on the court winning. I want to be on the court competing with my opponent," Auger-Aliassime said. "I don't want to be just standing there like a punching bag. So there's no point, and you know to move on."
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