Murray loses out in Edmund struggle and must make big decision
KYLE Edmund will forever be grateful for the help that Andy Murray has given him during his rise up the world rankings, but the World No.18 — and Murray’s successor as British number one — showed no mercy here yesterday at the Nature Valley International.
With Murray playing the most disappointing match so far of his comeback following hip surgery, Edmund won 6-4 6-4 to record his first victory over the 31-yearold Scot at the third attempt.
While Murray could take plenty of positives from both his narrow defeat to Nick Kyrgios in his first match at Queen’s Club last week and his victory over Stan Wawrinka in the first round here two days ago, this was a reminder of the work ahead for the former World No.1 if he is to recapture his former glories.
He now has to decide whether his body is up to playing best-offive-set matches at Wimbledon, which begins on Monday.
Although Edmund has rarely looked at his best on grass in the past, the 23-year-old has made huge progress in the last year, having broken into the world’s top 20 and reached his first Grand Slam semi-final at the Australian Open in January.
“It was a bit of a tough match mentally playing Andy,” Edmund ( below) said afterwards.
“I’ve just got to try and view it as another tennis match other than who I’m playing, but it’s always nice to come through like that.
“To beat a guy like Andy, who I’ve looked up to so much — he’s looked after me and been really good to me — is a bit of a weird feeling.
“I was a little bit nervous towards the end but it was good for me to come through.”
Murray sometimes struggled to cope with the sheer power of Edmund’s serves and thumping forehands.
If there were times when the Scot did not appear to be moving quite as freely as he had in his first two comeback matches, that probably had everything to do with the weight of his opponent’s shots.
After another beautiful day on the Sussex coast, the air temperature was still 25C when the match started at 5.15pm. There was as light breeze which stiffened a little in the latter stages s but otherwise the conditions werere all but perfect.
Murray knows as well as anyone how holding serve is crucial in grass-court tennis. Being broken in the opening game was not the start he want-ed. The Scot began with a double fault and was broken when he shanked a forehand.
Murray had his chances to break back immediately, but from 0- 40 down in the next game Edmund hit three huge serves to level at 40-40.
Another service winner saved another break point and Edmund went on to hold for 2-0. There was not much to choose between the two men for the rest of the first set, though it was generally Edmund who held serve more comfortably.
At 5- 4, Edmund started wwith a double fault before two aces helped him to serve out for the set.
At 11-1 in the second set, Murray fist- pumped towards his team after saving two break points, but two games later he dropped serve for the second time.
After saving five break points in a game that lasted more than 13 minutes, the Scot double-faulted on the sixth, upon which he bounced his racket on the floor in frustration.
Then Edmund broke again to go 5-2 up.
He went to break point with a thumping forehand downthe-line winner before Murray missed a forehand to give his opponent the chance to serve for the match.
Murray, nevertheless, proved that his old fighting spirit is still there by breaking back when Edmund served for the match for the first time.
Having held serve in the following game, he made Edmund work for his victory, which eventually came when he converted his first match point with a backhand winner down the line.
With Diego Schwartzman, the top seed, going out of the tournament, Edmund is now the highest ranked player left in the draw, which gives him an excellent chance of winning his first title at tour level.
In today’ s quarter-finals he will take on Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin, the World No.90.
Britain’s Cameron Norrie is also through to the quarter-finals after beating his fellow countryman Jay Clarke, 6-4 6-3. He now faces Slovakia’s Lukas Lacko, who is the World No.94, in the last eight.
Norrie said: “It’s going to be a big match. Lots of pressure. These courts really do suit me. Well, more than Queen’s, anyway.
“For some reason, I always play well near the ocean, so I don’t know if it’s a coincidence or not.
“But I like it (here),” he added.