The two-proton knockout reaction $^9$Be($^{54}$Ti,$^{52}$Ca$ + gamma$) has been studied at 72 MeV/nucleon. Besides the strong feeding of the $^{52}$Ca ground state, the only other sizeable cross section proceeds to a 3$^-$ level at 3.9 MeV. There is no measurable direct yield to the first excited 2$^+$ state at 2.6 MeV. The results illustrate the potential of such direct reactions for exploring cross-shell proton excitations in neutron-rich nuclei and confirms the doubly-magic nature of $^{52}$Ca.
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