Australian Open No. 2 seed Casper Ruud was eliminated from the tournament by American Jenson Brooksby on Thursday, falling 6-3 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 6-2 in the second round.
Ruud, who reached the finals of the French Open and US Open in 2022, managed to save three match points and fought back from a 2-5 deficit in the third set to force a fourth, but Brooksby, 22, proved too strong.
With Ruud’s defeat, the top two seeds in the men’s draw have been ousted, following Rafael Nadal’s loss to Mackenzie McDonald on Wednesday. This marks the first time since the 2002 Australian Open that both top seeds have exited before the third round, according to the International Tennis Federation.
“I knew it would be a great battle with Casper, who’s a warrior,” Brooksby said after the match. “I was confident in my level and just wanted to enjoy competing and see what would happen. I’m proud of how I handled myself after losing the third set and turning things around.”
Brooksby’s confidence was evident from the start, breaking Ruud midway through the first set after a lengthy 30-shot rally. He maintained his advantage, though luck played a role in his second-set win as his backhand hit the net and trickled over.
Ruud, despite his efforts to come back, struggled with frustration and even yelled “Why?” at himself at one point. He won the third set but lost the fourth when a return went long, giving Brooksby only his second career victory over a top-five seed, having previously defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The 22-year-old from California excelled in longer rallies, winning 50 of 68 points that extended beyond nine shots, and saved eight of 12 break points against Ruud.
After the match, Ruud praised Brooksby but expressed his frustration with the outcome. “It was a frustrating and annoying match,” Ruud said. “It’s a tough matchup for me, and probably will be for years to come. Brooksby played great and answered everything I threw at him. I didn’t make many errors, but he won many of the longer rallies.”
Brooksby will face fellow American Tommy Paul in the next round. “It’s going to be another battle,” Brooksby said. “A lot of Americans are performing well right now, and we’re all pushing each other. I’m looking forward to the next match.”