MELBOURNE, Australia — The American players continued their early upset streak at the Australian Open on Thursday, when Jenson Brooksby Elimination of the No. 2 seed men Casper RoadAnd Katie Volentis It stunned the No. 9 seed Veronika Kudrmitova on the woman’s side.
Brooksby, 22, of Sacramento, scored 6-3, 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-2 to win Rudd in their second-round match at Rod Laver Arena, meaning a pair of 20 California players sealed the win. . The best players in the men’s category were defeated.
Broxby’s surprise came in the same round and in the same ballpark as the 27-year-old Mackenzie MacDonald defeated the top seed and defending champion Rafael Nadal Spain on Wednesday. This makes this the first Grand Slam tournament since the 2002 Australian Open that the top two teams lost before the end of the second round.
Volynets, the 21-year-old qualifier from Walnut Creek, California, powered through to a 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 win over Russia’s Kudermetova.
With wins by Brooksby and Volynets, 13 American men and women have reached the third round, the most at the Australian Open since 2004, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
Brooksby was ranked 39th and made his Australian Open debut. He was supposed to enter a year ago, but contracted COVID-19 the day before he was scheduled to travel to Australia.
“Hopefully, this is the first of many good years to come,” said Broxby.
Ruud was runner-up at Nadal’s French Open in June and at the US Open Carlos Alcaraz in September.
Broxby’s unusual style of play, including two-handed backhand volleys, and the ability to track opponent’s shots, was a problem for Rudd, who took a medical time-out after the second set.
Proxby’s biggest problem was closing this issue. He took three match points trying to win 5-3 in the third set but couldn’t convert any of it.
Having broken there with his backhand, Brooksby sat in his changing seat and yelled to himself, “How?! How?! God!”
Ruud, the 24-year-old Norwegian, walked at the end of that set, but Broxby made amends in the fourth, jumping out to a 3-0 lead.
Brooksby finished things off an hour later, 15 minutes after his first chance.
“I was getting a little more frustrated that I didn’t shut it down, and my mindset was changing a little bit,” he said. “These are situations that you have to deal with sometimes in matches, and you’re going to have to deal with them. I think the bigger question is: How do you respond? I just asked myself to reset it.”
Broxby’s run of power play continued with the men from the United States through the first week, an important development given that none of them have won a Grand Slam title since. Andy Roddick At the 2003 US Open Championship.
By reaching the third round, Broxby joins his compatriots Ben SheltonAnd Tommy Paul And JJ Wolfwho also won Thursday, along with McDonald, No. 16 Francis Tiafoe and No. 29 Sebastian Kordawho were all victorious on Wednesday.
Chilton won the qualification Nicola Jarry Chile 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3), 7-5; Paul returns to Edge #30 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina Spain 6-2, 2-6, 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-4; Wolfe passed the number 23 Diego Schwartzman Argentina 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.
“A lot of Americans are doing really well right now, and we’re all pushing each other,” said Brooksby, who will now face Paul. “Just looking forward to the next one.”
Volynets reached the third round of a Grand Slam event for the first time with an upset Kudermetova.
“I literally have goosebumps because the fans here are amazing,” Volynets said. “I’ve never played in a stadium like this and with so many people it keeps my energy up.
Arina Sabalenka Meanwhile, she improved her winning streak to six when she beat the American Shelby Rogers 6-3, 6-1 to reach the third round.
No. 5 seed Sabalenka, who started the year by winning the title in Adelaide, trailed 3-1 early in the match but won five straight matches to take the opening set, then eased through the second.
“I expected a great level from her today; that’s why she stayed focused from start to finish,” said Sabalenka.
Sabalenka will play either Elise Mertens Belgium, the No. 26 ranked player, or the American player Lauren Davis In the third round.
No. 19 Ekaterina Alexandrova Russia defeated the American player Taylor Townsend 1-6, 6-2, 6-3.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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