JAMAICA’S lone Australian Open hopeful Dustin Brown failed to make the main draw after losing 6-7, 7-6, 4-6 to Frenchman Guillaume Rufin at Melbourne Park yesterday.

Brown, seeded No 19 for the qualifiers, was among five seeded players who exited the second round as his first chance to play in a major slam proved elusive.

The 25-year-old German-born Brown was facing a real threat from the unseeded Rufin, who won the first set on a tiebreaker, 7-1.

The second also went to a tiebreaker, but Brown was made to fight tooth and nail before prevailing 9-7.

It was equally tense in the third and deciding set, but the Jamaican, having recorded 46 enforced errors in the gruelling encounter, was broken in the ninth game by his French opponent, who then closed out the match and will now play Roberto Bautista-Aqut of Spain in round three.

Speaking to the Observer after the game, Brown, who smashed 15 aces and had a 77 winning percentage on his first serve, said too many errors cost him the match.

“Both of us could have won,” he said. “He had the better ending. I had some breakpoints, but I made too many unforced errors today. I need to play that kind of level more often … for six years I was only playing ITF-Future Tournaments… then a few Challengers to reach where I am now, and now I need to play more ATP-Tournaments… Grand Slams are the top.”

The world No 143-ranked Brown added that he was still happy with his performance.

He said: “It would have been nice to reach the main draw, but I am not really disappointed. I played five Challenger finals and won one mainly in the last six months of 2009. That got my ranking up and I was able to play the Qualifying at the Australian Open 2010.

“It was my first time to play a Grand Slam so I came here with no expectations. I just wanted to play as good as possible and get more experience on that kind of level in tennis to make it further up in the ATP-Ranking. I made eight points and next time when the ATP-Ranking comes out my highest ranking has improved again.”

He noted that it was difficult to play on the circuit without sponsorship, but with his ambitions of reaching the top 100 not too far off, things are likely to improve.

“Without sponsorship it is hard to find the funds to go all over to play, so I have to do what I can with my prize money. I need to win to be able to play other tournaments,” said the 6′ 5″ Jamaican top seed, who does modelling part-time.

“My goal is to reach the top 100 as soon as possible because then I will be in the main draws of ATP-Tournaments without the need of qualifying.”

Brown says his next competition will be the ATP-Challenger in Heilbronn, Germany next week where he will be in the main draw, before planning to qualify for the ATP-Tournament in Johannesburg, South Africa.