Quebecer Alexis Galarneau was eliminated in the first round of qualifying for the Australian Open on Monday in Melbourne.

The 26-year-old lost in two sets of 6-4, 6-2 to the American Nishesh Basavareddy, 172^e world player.

Galarneau, 213^e in the ATP rankings, slammed three aces and committed two double faults. He only won 59% of the points contested on his first serve.

The Laval resident had only one break point during the clash, and he converted it. His opponent, however, had six and converted four of them.

Basavareddy hit six aces and committed just one double fault. He also won 74% of the points played on his first serve and 69% of those played on his second serve.

In the women’s category, Canadian Cadence Brace lost 7-6 (5), 7-6 (6) to Australian Tina Nadine Smith.

Brace, 20 years old and 186^e world player, hit no aces and committed six double faults. She broke her opponent four times, but suffered eight breaks.

Later Monday in Melbourne, Canadians Kayla Cross and Marina Stakusic will be in action.

Canadian Milos Raonic, a former Wimbledon finalist who has not played since 2024, announced his retirement from professional tennis on Sunday evening in a moving message posted on social media.

“The time has come, I am retiring from tennis. It’s a moment that you know is inevitable, but for which you never really feel ready, Raonic, 35, wrote on his Instagram page. Today, I will never be as happy. Tennis has been my passion, my obsession, for most of my life. »

Raonic, originally from Thornhill, Ontario, played his final match at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he was eliminated in the first round by Germany’s Dominik Koepfer.

At his peak, he reached third place in the ATP men’s singles rankings. He has won eight ATP Tour titles and reached the final of the Wimbledon tournament in 2016, where he lost in three sets to Andy Murray.

He reached at least the quarterfinals in 10 Grand Slam main draws, posting an impressive 92-37 record in those major competitions.

“A large part of my tennis journey has been marked by the incredible encounters I have had the chance to meet all over the world,” Raonic wrote. And now ? I don’t plan on slowing down. Life is still long and I am as motivated and ambitious as in 2011, the year I broke through on the circuit. »

Raonic has become a true ambassador of Canadian tennis, establishing himself as one of the best servers of the modern era.

Injuries unfortunately cut his career short, and a shoulder injury sustained in 2025 never allowed him to fully recover and attempt a return to competition.