After top seeded Nadal
Also tournament number 2 sensationally out
After Rafael Nadal, who went into the Australian Open as the top seed, the number 2 of the tournament is now eliminated in the second round. Casper Ruud is subject to the American Jenson Brooksby in four sets.
Published: 5 minutes ago
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Caper Ruud didn’t look top fit in the defeat against Jenson Brooksby.
The favorites have a hard time at the Australian Open. After world number one Carlos Alcaraz, who was unable to compete due to injury, and Rafael Nadal (ATP 2), Casper Ruud (ATP 3) does not get far either.
The 24-year-old Norwegian is defeated by the 22-year-old American Jenson Brooksby (ATP 39) in three hours and 56 minutes 3: 6, 5: 7, 7: 6 (7: 4), 2: 6. Brooksby earned three match points in the third set at 5:3 and his own serve. After detouring through the fourth set, he converted the fifth match point an hour later.
Djokovic and Tsitsipas in the race for number 1
Ruud’s departure comes as a big surprise. The Norwegian primarily owed his rise to second place in the world rankings to exceptionally good results on hard courts. He reached the final of two of his three Grand Slam tournaments (Roland-Garros and US Open) in 2022. He also qualified for the final on hard court in Miami and at the ATP Masters. So far, however, Ruud has lost all of the big finals.
Ruud was one of four players who could have become world No. 1 after the Australian Open. After his departure and that of Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas remain in the race for the lead in the world rankings. If neither of these two wins the tournament, Carlos Alcaraz remains at the top of the rankings despite his absence. (SDA)