MELBOURNE: Casper Ruud on Thursday joined Rafael Nadal in making a stunning second-round exit from the Australian Open, in another boost to Novak Djokovic’s bid for a 22nd Grand Slam title.
Second-seeded Ruud needed a medical timeout and was always struggling against hard-hitting Jenson Brooksby, the Norwegian going down 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (4/7), 6-2.
Defending champion Nadal limped out of the tournament on day three in a shock defeat to Mackenzie McDonald and on day four it was another American who ousted Ruud.
The top two seeds are now gone in the first week at Melbourne Park, with Nadal saying on Thursday he will be out for about six to eight weeks…
