The Australian Open witnessed a deeply distressing scene on Day 2 as world number 127, Marina Stakusic, was forced to leave the court in a wheelchair following severe cramping, abruptly ending her first-round battle against Australian wildcard Priscilla Hon. The 21-year-old Canadian was in red-hot form in Melbourne, winning her previous three matches in the qualifiers in straight sets. But her first-round match ended at a scoreline when she was trailing 6-1, 4-6, 3-5.

What began as a tense, competitive encounter quickly transformed into a match overshadowed by repeated medical interventions. Stakusic first called for a medical timeout as she received treatment on her upper thigh after struggling to move freely. Hon had then just wrapped up the second set. Following that, the Aussie herself required attention for a right-shoulder issue, briefly halting the match for a second time.

It was in the third set that Stakusic went on to serve at 2-3. Despite the disruptions, Hon managed to get a grip on this duel, pushing ahead in the deciding set. However, at 3-3, Marina Stakusic yet again required medical attention. The cramping looked quite serious at the moment, as the youngster was spotted lying on the floor once again. She has been cramping for the last few games. Everyone inside the stadium looked worried seeing her struggling with pain.

Though she fought bravely to continue, Stakusic was virtually immobile by the time Hon went up 5-3 in this Australian Open first-round encounter. After one final attempt to stand, the Canadian fell back to the court in pain, prompting the heartbreaking decision to retire from the match.

In an admirable display of sportsmanship, Priscilla Hon immediately rushed to her opponent’s side and assisted her off the court. Stakusic ultimately exited in a wheelchair, leaving fans stunned and emotional as play came to a premature end.

For Hon, the victory marks her first main-draw win at her home Grand Slam since 2020, but it arrived under the most difficult and somber circumstances. However, her incredible sportsmanship earned praise from the commentators later on.

“This is classy from Priscilla Hon. All class from Hon — not the way she envisaged picking up her first Australian Open main draw in six years.”

Surely, this isn’t the way she would’ve loved to end her first round at the Australian Open. But let me tell you, there have already been quite a few mid-match walkovers at this year’s Australian Open.

Three mid-match walkovers in two days at the 2026 Australian Open

Day 2 of the 2026 Australian Open isn’t even in the books yet, but Melbourne Park has already witnessed an unusual trend – three mid-match retirements in less than 48 hours. What was expected to be a routine start to the Slam has instead turned into a worrying sequence of early-round injury dramas on both the men’s and women’s sides.

The most high-profile exit came from no. 7 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, whose campaign ended abruptly on Monday. The Canadian was trailing Portugal’s Nuno Bogers 6-3, 4-6, 4-6 after just two hours when he walked to the net and called it quits. Speaking afterward, Auger-Aliassime downplayed fears of a serious issue but admitted he had been fighting his body for most of the third set:

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“I’m OK, but I just started cramping at the start of the third set. Yeah, it became very difficult to be competitive at this level. I tried for a set, but yeah, wasn’t possible today.”

On the women’s side, the drama has been just as severe. Apart from Canadian youngster Marina Stakusic’s forced retirement in her first round match, even Britain’s Francesca Jones faced a similar fate. The 25-year-old was competing in her first Grand Slam main draw earned directly through ranking, a major milestone after years of battling health setbacks. But within minutes of her opening round match against qualifier Linda Klimovicova, trouble struck.

Jones dropped the opening set 6-2 after being broken twice and immediately sought treatment for what appeared to be a thigh injury. Despite the discomfort, she attempted to push through the second set, but her body simply wouldn’t cooperate. At 2-6, 2-3 down, the Brit’s emotional battle came to an end. She signaled her retirement and walked off Court 15 in tears, a tough end to what should have been a celebratory moment in her career.

With three mid-match walkovers in just two days (although not yet over), questions are already swirling around player readiness, early-season conditioning, and the brutal demands of the Australian summer. The tournament still has nearly two full weeks ahead, but the growing list of physical breakdowns is becoming hard to ignore. What are your thoughts on this issue at the 2026 Australian Open, though?