CNN
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Australian Open number 2 seed Casper Rude was knocked out of the Grand Slam by defeating American Jenson Brooksby 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (4-7) 6-2 in the second round on Thursday.
Ruud, a French Open and US Open finalist in 2022, saved three match points and came from 2-5 down in the third set to take the match to the fourth set, but the 22-year-old Brooks could be denied.
The American’s victory means top two seed Rafael Nadal is out of the men’s draw after losing to Mackenzie McDonald on Wednesday.
The departure of two top-seeded players before the third round is the first Grand Slam men’s singles event since the 2002 Australian Open when No. 1 seed Lleyton Hewitt and No. 2 seed Gustavo Cuerton lost in the first round. According to the International Tennis Federation.
“Casper is a warrior, I knew it was going to be a great fight,” Brooksby told reporters afterward. “I was very confident in my level and I wanted to enjoy competing there and see what could happen.
“The third set battle didn’t go my way, I was really proud of my mental resolve there after that,” added Brooksby. “I thought I was playing really strong and I wanted every match [to] Don’t lose my attention there.
Brooksby looked confident from the opening game as the world number 39 broke Rudd midway through the first set after a long 30-shot rally that saw the American take an early lead.
The big-scoring American put Rudd on the back foot, though he won the second set with a piece of luck as his backhand hit the net and went over.
Rude stormed back to win the third set, although his frustration continued and at one point he could be heard shouting “Why?” On yourself.
Rudd lost the fourth set when the comeback went long, giving Brooksby his second win over a top five seed, having beaten Stefanos Tsitsipas in the previous round.
The 22-year-old from California dominated long rallies against Rudd, winning 50 of 68 points that went over nine shots. He also managed to save eight of 12 break points against the Norwegian.
Afterwards, Roode was full of praise for Brooksby, while also saying that the match was “disappointing and annoying at the same time.”
“It’s a tough match for me, and I know it’s probably going to be for years. I will try to learn from it. I think he played really well today,” Rudd told reporters.
“I mean, I didn’t make a lot of mistakes. I didn’t think I played particularly bad or not at the level I wanted to play, but he just won a lot of long rallies and answered all the questions I asked him. Rudd added.
Brooksby will play fellow American Tommy Paul in the next round.
“It’s definitely going to be another battle,” Brooksby said. “A lot of Americans are doing great right now and we’re all pushing each other. I’m just waiting for the next one. ”
