January 13, 2026

Open Court

MORE TENNIS THAN YOU'LL EVER NEED

MELBOURNE, Australia – Marina Stakusic won’t be the only Canadian in the second round of Australian Open qualifying.

On Day 2, both Carson Branstine and Liam Draxl got through.

All will play on Wednesday.

For Branstine, who is dealing with a shoulder injury, it was a tough slog but a successful one against Aussie Astra Sharma.

She won, 7-6 (3), 2-6, 6-3 and will face the tricky Daria Snigur of Ukraine on Wednesday.

Branstine had some serious work done on her shoulder after the second set; the velocity on her serve was visibly down from where it usually is. But it picked up some in the third after all the treatment, which she said loosened it up.

Here’s what it looked like.

Draxl through in straights

For Liam Draxl, the No. 20 seed on the men’s side, the challenge was easier on paper as his Aussie wild card opponent, Moerani Bouzige, has never broken the top 300.

It was close – 7-6 (3), 6-3 – but Draxl got through and posted his first win at the Grand Slam level, in his fourth attempt.

The 24-year-old was eliminated in the first round of qualifying at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open in 2025.

He’ll also play a Ukrainian, 28-year-old Vitaliy Sachko, in the second round on Wednesday.

Stakusic, who came through on Monday, will meet Teodora Kostovic of Serbia.

The 18-year-old is close to her career high, ranked No. 176. Last June, she was at a career high No. 4 in the ITF junior rankings even though she had long gone full-time as a pro; she played just three junior Slams and a tuneup tournament for the Australian Open a year ago.

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