Jenson Brooksby stuns Casper Ruud

On Thursday, American Jenson Brooksby eliminated second seed Casper Ruud from the Australian Open, ending the Norwegian’s dreams of capturing a first Grand Slam title and dominating the world rankings.

After Mackenzie McDonald defeated defending champion Rafael Nadal, Brooksby took the lead in the second set of the second-round match with two breaks of service. He dominated the second set to increase the possibility of another California upset.

The 24-year-old Ruud, twice a Grand Slam runner-up last year, saved three match-points before winning the third set in a tie-break, putting pressure on Brooksby, who recovered in the fourth to win.

“Casper’s a warrior, I knew it’d be a terrific battle out there. “I was quite confident with my level and just wanted to have fun out there and see what may happen,” Brooksby, 22, said in his on-court interview.

“I was proud of my mental resolve after the third-set battle didn’t go my way to turn it around.”

I got COVID the day before I flew last year, which sucked. “Hopefully this is the first of many years.”

After defeating Spanish 30th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in five sets, Brooksby will play compatriot Tommy Paul.