Canadian Stakusic leaves the court in a wheelchair as the Australian Open heats up

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Helping her opponent Marina Stakusic leave the court in a wheelchair was not how Priscilla Hon envisioned the scene when she finally returned to the second round of the Australian Open for the first time since 2020.

Hon was leading 1-6, 6-4, 5-3 when her Canadian rival needed treatment for severe leg cramps at the ANZ Arena on Monday. The temperature was around 29 degrees Celsius (84 Fahrenheit) and not particularly humid, by local summer standards.

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Stakusic was one of two Canadian players to struggle with cramps on the second day of the first major of the season, with men’s No. 7 Felix Auger-Aliassime withdrawing from his match with Portugal’s Nuno Borges. Borges was leading 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 after about two hours when the 25-year-old Auger-Aliassime approached the net to shake hands.

“I can’t remember ever having cramps in my life so early in a tournament, so early in a match,” Auger-Aliassime said. “I’m fine, but I started having cramps at the beginning of the third set. Yes, it has become very difficult to be competitive at this level.”

Stakusic remained on the pitch for two hours and was evidently in difficulty when medical staff called for a wheelchair to help her off the pitch. Hon held the Canadian qualifier’s left leg as she was carried towards the exit and the pair were able to talk briefly.

“I really hope he feels better. It was a nice scene out there,” Hon said. “A lot of people came up to me and said, ‘Wow, that was really dramatic.’”

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Hon said he felt comfortable in the conditions, which were consistently warm but not humid at Melbourne Park.

“I mean, I’m Australian, so I should be pretty used to it,” she said. “It was definitely hot out there, and I think nerves and stress levels impact everything as well.”

Conditions were similar on the first day of the tournament, when Turkish qualifier Zeynep Sönmez rushed to the aid of an ailing player during her surprise first-round victory over No. 11 Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Sönmez was receiving serve in the ninth game of the second set when a ball boy faltered, lost his balance and stumbled backward with what appeared to be a heat-related illness. The ball girl quickly stood up but began to wobble again, and Sönmez went to the sideline and put an arm around her waist to help her find some shade.

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The boy was treated and recovered quickly, the tournament said.

Maximum temperatures are expected to be slightly cooler during the first week, but increasing on Saturday.

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