Great Britain’s only representative in the men’s draw, Kyle Edmund, has stunned US Open finalist Kevin Anderson 6-7(4), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, in the first round of the Australian Open.
Edmund, who is currently ranked 49th in the world, withstood a barrage of threats from the South African 11th seed during a four-hour thriller. Throughout the match, Anderson managed to hit 35 aces and at one stage won 24 consecutive points behind his nerve. Still, it was not enough to tame the British player.
Trailing 2-0 in the deciding set, Edmund responded immediately by breaking back with the help of a forehand smash at the net. The relentless play of the 23-year-old eventually wore Anderson down as he began to make costly mistakes. A forehand from the South African drifted long to allow the Brit to break one again for 4-3 and lead the match. From that moment on there was no stopping Edmund from grabbing one of the biggest wins of his career. As he sealed the win emphatically with a love service game.
“I’m just so happy. The match was such a roller coaster. You just really had to stay tough as much as you can. There were going to be blips.” He told British Eurosport.
“I’m just really happy.”
The world No.49, who had previously only ever won one main draw match at Melbourne Park, booked his place in the next round with the help of 11 aces and 61 winners. His triumph is a case of sweet revenge for the Yorkshire-born player. Last year at Roland Garros Edmund lost to Anderson in the third round. Losing the deciding set 6-4.
“We had a five set match at the French Open last year. It went into a fifth set and I was thinking about that. I was like ‘this time I had to get him’. I can’t let the same thing happen.” Said Edmund.
The triumph is is a bitter pill for Anderson to swallow. It is the second consecutive year that he has lost in the first round in Melbourne and the sixth overall in his career. He has also become the first player to follow a US Open final with a first round loss at the Australian Open since Lleyton Hewitt back in 2002.
Awaiting Edmund in round two will be Denis Istomin. Who famously stunned Novak Djokovic in the tournament last year. Istomin battled his way past France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-2, 6-1, 5-7, 7-6(3).
