Huge upset at Australian Open, Czech teen Mensik knocks out sixth seed Ruud

Casper Ruud crashed out of the Australian Open after Czech teenager Jakub Mensik secured a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory over the World No. 6 under the lights at Margaret Court Arena on Wednesday.

Nineteen-year-old Mensik, a finalist in the 2022 boys singles at Melbourne Park, sealed the match in spectacular style with a blistering forehand winner. The shot sent three-time Grand Slam finalist and sixth seed Casper Ruud out of the tournament. This marked the second major upset of the ongoing Australian Open, following 18-year-old Joao Fonsecas stunning win over World No. 9 Andrey Rublev.

With the victory, Mensik advanced to the third round for the first time at the Australian Open, equalling his best Grand Slam performance after reaching the same stage twice at the U.S. Open. Ruud’s early exit made him the third top-10 seed to be eliminated, joining Andrey Rublev and Grigor Dimitrov in an increasingly unpredictable tournament.

For the first time since 2006, two teenagers have defeated the top 10 players in men’s singles at a Grand Slam. The last pair to achieve this feat were Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.

ZVEREV, GAUFF AND BADOSA MARCH AHEAD
Olympic gold medallist and second-seeded German Alexander Zverev had little trouble dispatching Pedro Martinez, winning 6-1, 6-4, 6-1. Zverev now prepares for a third-round showdown with Britain’s Jacob Fearnley.Pursuing his goal to become the first German man to claim a major title since Boris Becker’s triumph at the 1996 Australian Open, Zverev will now face Jacob Fearnley.

The Briton earned his spot by following up an impressive victory over Nick Kyrgios with a hard-fought win against Arthur Cazaux, securing a 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 result.

“Usually I play 7-6 in the fifth to entertain you guys a bit, but I’m getting older, so I have to shorten things up a little bit,” Zverev said after winning. “Hopefully, there will be a lot more of that in the later rounds. I really like playing night matches here; I think the atmosphere is even better at night. Every time I get the opportunity to come out here in a night session, I like to make the most of it.”

Spain’s 11th seed Paula Badosa cruised into the third round with a dominant 6-1, 6-0 win over Australian wildcard Talia Gibson. Badosa will next face Ukraine’s 17th seed, Marta Kostyuk, in what promises to be an intriguing matchup. Meanwhile, Croatian 18th seed Donna Vekic overcame a shaky start to defeat lucky loser Harriet Dart 4-6, 6-0, 6-2. Vekic advances to face Russia’s 12th seed, Diana Shnaider, in the next round.

Coco Gauff made easy work of British youngster Jodie Burrage to register a 6-3, 7-5 win and storm into the third round of the Australian Open on Wednesday. American third seed Coco Gauff looked set for an easy win after leading 3-1 in the second set, but then she found herself in a gritty battle against a determined Jodie Burrage under the bright lights of Rod Laver Arena.

Burrage, refusing to back down, went all-out with her shots and rallied the crowd to her side, breaking Gauff twice in an impressive streak of four consecutive games. With the momentum firmly in her corner, the 25-year-old from London found herself serving for the set.

However, the moment slipped away. Back-to-back double faults saw Burrage lose her serve twice, handing the match back to Gauff, who wrapped up a straight-sets win. It marked Gauff’s second consecutive straight-sets victory in the tournament, following her first-round challenge against 2020 champion Sofia Kenin. Gauff now moves on to an exciting clash with former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez for a spot in the fourth round.