MELBOURNE, Australia -- American players continued their early run of surprises in the Australian Open on Thursday, when Jenson Brooksby eliminated men's No. 2 seed Casper Ruud and Katie Volynets stunned No. 9-seeded Veronika Kudermetova on the women's side.
Brooksby, a 22-year-old from Sacramento, scored a 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-2 upset of Rudd in their second-round match in Rod Laver Arena, meaning a pair of 20-something Californians have knocked out the top two players in the men's bracket.
Brooksby's surprise came in the same round and on the same court that 27-year-old Mackenzie McDonald defeated No.