Casper Ruud ended his journey at the 2023 Wimbledon probably earlier than he expected as he lost to Liam Broady.
The 24-year-old never hid his dislike for grass, famously saying that the perfect preparation is gold since it's played on the grass. However, he entered the 2023 Wimbledon Championships quite well, beating Laurent Lokoli in four sets, and it seemed that he may improve his career-best result in the tournament, second round.
Ruud admitted that his motivation was a little higher since the ATP points were awarded at the tournament again after last year's snub. Following the victory against the Frenchman, he took on player who also defeated a player from France in the first round. It was the home hero Liam Broady, who received a wild card and beat Constant Lestienne in the opening match.
The match was scheduled as the first match on the Centre Court and the fans in London had a reason to support as their player was on the court. And it was a perfect start for Broady who showed his qualities early on.
After being broken in the fourth game of the opening set, the Brit broke his opponent's serve two times to win the set 6-4. But Ruud put on a fight worth of the fourth-seeded player at the Grand Slam tournament.
The Norwegian played much better in the second and third sets, winning them 6-3 and 6-4, and getting the match under control after earning a one-set lead after three sets, seemingly.
That was only until Broady increased his level once again. The Brit played much better in the fourth set, and especially in the decider. He faced only one break point in the last two sets, and managed to save that.
After a heroic performance, Broady defeated Ruud 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 as the Centre Court applauded the World No. 142. He will now take on the 26th-seeded Denis Shapovalov. On the other hand, the crowd in London will have another match to watch closely on the Centre Court as Andy Murray will play against Stefanos Tsitsipas later tonight.
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