Australian hopeful Max Purcell has had his Australian Open campaign brutally ended, after losing a marathon five-set match against Casper Ruud, which came down to a tiebreak.
It was a back-and-forth affair, with neither man winning two straight sets. Purcell claimed the second and fourth, but it was the Norwegian Casper Ruud who took the first, third, and eventual fifth-set tiebreak 10-7, as well as the win.
🗣️ "You are KIDDING!"
— Wide World of Sports (@wwos) January 18, 2024
Max Purcell pulls off 'one of the shots of the tournament' against Casper Ruud! 🤯🔥#AO2024 #AusOpen #Tennis #9WWOS pic.twitter.com/F5Arj4qg9w
Ruud will now progress to the third round, set to play on Sunday the 21st, while Purcell will bow out with a career-high second-round finish at his home Open.
Max Purcell Ranking
On paper, this should have been an easy win for Ruud, the current 11th-ranked player in the world taking on Purcell, who is ranked 45th.
MORE: Australian Open 2024 – Results and schedule
But Purcell quickly showed that rankings are just a number, as he pushed his opponent to the absolute limit.
This comes after Purcell's dominant first-round win over Italian MátéValkusz, who he downed 3-6 7-6 6-4 7-5.
How old is Max Purcell?
Max Purcell is currently 25 years old, and was born on April 3, 1998.
He made his Grand Slam singles debut in 2020 at the Australian Open, and matched a career-high Grand Slam finish with his second-round exit, tied with his result at the 2023 French Open.
