Australian Open 2023 results: Novak Djokovic wins but Casper Ruud loses to Jenson Brooksby

Novak Djokovic had attraction connected his wounded and was visibly troubled by it for overmuch of the match

Novak Djokovic battled done wounded to scope the Australian Open 3rd circular connected different time erstwhile much of his expected rubric rivals were knocked out.

Djokovic had a aesculapian timeout, seemingly hampered by an existing hamstring injury, but came through.

A time aft Rafael Nadal exited, 2nd effect Casper Ruud was besides beaten.

The Norwegian, who reached 2 Grand Slam finals past year, mislaid 6-3 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 6-2 to American Jenson Brooksby.

In the aforesaid 4th of the draw, eighth effect Taylor Fritz besides mislaid 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 6-7 (6-8) 6-2 to Australian wildcard Alexei Popyrin.

• Follow unrecorded sum of time 4 of the Australian Open

Twelfth effect Alexander Zverev, inactive successful the aboriginal days of his instrumentality from a superior ankle injury, was beaten 6-7 (1-7) 6-4 6-3 6-2 by fortunate loser Michael Mmoh, who said helium had to alteration his formation due to the fact that helium had expected to already beryllium out.

Russian 5th effect Andrey Rublev suffered nary specified upset, beating Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori 6-2 6-4 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 to acceptable up a third-round gathering with Britain's Dan Evans.

Ruud's hold for Grand Slam triumph and apical ranking goes on

Casper Ruud reached 2 Grand Slam finals past year

The exit of Ruud, past year's French and US Open runner-up, means helium indispensable hold for different accidental to onshore a archetypal Grand Slam rubric and ended his accidental to go the satellite fig one.

The 24-year-old Norwegian was outplayed by satellite fig 39 Brooksby, who took power aboriginal with 2 breaks of service successful the opening acceptable and commanded play from the baseline successful the second.

Ruud, who aboriginal said helium had felt "tension and immoderate flimsy pain" successful his abdomen but refused to blasted that for his performance, saved 3 lucifer points successful the 3rd earlier winning a tie-break to unit different set.

But 22-year-old Brooksby regrouped to interruption aboriginal successful the fourth, sealing the triumph erstwhile his hostile sent a backhand long.

"Casper's a warrior, I knew it'd beryllium a large conflict retired there. I was beauteous assured with my level and conscionable wanted to person amusive retired determination and spot what could happen," Brooksby said successful his on-court interview.

"I was truly arrogant of my intelligence resoluteness retired determination aft the third-set conflict didn't spell my mode to crook it around."

Brooksby volition look Tommy Paul successful the adjacent circular aft his compatriot bushed Spanish 30th effect Alejandro Davidovich Fokina successful 5 sets.

The men's gully was already without past year's Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios, who withdrew earlier the tourney done injury, leaving Djokovic arsenic the overwhelming favourite.

'My formation location was booked' - Mmoh

American Mmoh was expecting to alert location connected Wednesday, but was a precocious call-up into the main gully erstwhile different subordinate withdrew.

The 25-year-old, whose begetter Tony reached the Australian Open 2nd circular successful 1988, sealed triumph against Zverev with a smash and fell to the level connected his backmost to instrumentality successful the biggest triumph of his career.

Mmoh, who had Australian cousins successful his container from his mother's broadside of the family, said of his whirlwind week: "Right erstwhile you deliberation everything is looking dark, there's airy astatine the extremity of the tunnel. My week is impervious of that.

"I was packing my bag, I had my formation booked. The information I americium inactive present playing connected Margaret Court [Arena] is insane. I'm not adjacent expected to beryllium here."

• Live scores, results and bid of play
• Alerts: Get tennis quality sent to your phone

• Friends Will Be Friends: Stanley Tucci and his champion person speech astir their emotion of nutrient and art
• All fired up and acceptable for business: Hopeful entrepreneurs participate the Dragons' Den...