Rune suffers shocking elimination at AO second round

Holger Rune’s aspirations to surpass last year’s achievement of reaching the fourth round at the Australian Open were dashed by Arthur Cazaux. The French wildcard demonstrated his worth by securing a 7-6(4), 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 victory in their second-round encounter on Thursday.

Cazaux, who didn’t have a high enough ranking to qualify for Melbourne Park last year, outperformed the Danish eighth seed in their Australian Open clash, marking his second win in his tournament debut. The victory earned him a spot in the next round against Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor.

Despite being recognized as one of the most promising talents in men’s tennis, 20-year-old Rune found himself outplayed by Cazaux, especially in the first two sets, where the French player appeared superior. Both athletes sported matching backward white baseball caps.

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The world number 122, relying on a powerful serve that produced 18 aces, claimed the first set in a tiebreak. A solitary break in the second set propelled him to a two-set lead, much to the delight of a vocal group of his fellow countrymen on Margaret Court Arena.

Rune, facing physical challenges that led to a medical timeout and regular attention to his left thigh, managed to break Cazaux’s serve in the 10th game of the third set, reducing the deficit. However, the resilient Frenchman, who secured his first Grand Slam win in the first round against Laslo Djere, responded with a break to open the fourth set, forcing Rune to fight hard to avoid a 3-0 disadvantage.

In a final effort to avoid defeat, Rune unleashed a barrage of powerful shots, but Cazaux held his ground, delivering a brilliant backhand cross-court winner to break Rune once more and secure a memorable victory.