Edmund showing his best
BRITAIN’S Kyle Edmund booked his place in the last eight of the European Open in Antwerp with a thrilling win over second seed David Ferrer.
The world No43 came through 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 for one of the best wins of his career to set up a quarter-final meeting today with Italy’s Andreas Seppi.
British No2 Edmund began in blistering style, winning the opening five games to claim the first set in 24 minutes.
The 21-year-old, however, could not sustain the strong start and, after failing to capitalise on three break points in the sixth game of the second set, he saw world No15 Ferrer level the match at 1-1.
Edmund looked to have squandered the opportunity to progress EDMUND: Triumph when he wasted two match points on Ferrer’s serve but regained his composure to triumph in the tiebreak.
Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal has brought an early end to his season to recover fully from a wrist injury.
The Spaniard was sidelined for more than two months in the summer and admitted when he returned at the Rio Olympics that he was still in pain.
Nadal lost the bronze-medal play-off in Rio and was beaten in his first match at the Shanghai Masters last week. He said: “It’s no secret I arrived at the Olympics short of preparation but the goal was to win a medal for Spain. This forced recovery has caused me pain since.” ENGLAND were thankful for Moeen Ali’s dirty work after he helped dig them out of a hole on a frenetic opening day of the first Test against Bangladesh.
Moeen’s dogged 68, which came in 170 balls and included five reprieves via the Decision Review System, rescued Alastair Cook’s men from the perilous position of 21-3 in the first hour to 258-7 by the close.
However, England were given a harsh reality check about how tough life will be in a winter which will see them negotiate seven Tests on the Subcontinent in eight weeks.
Teenage spinner Mehedi Hasan ran riot, taking 5-64 on his debut, to remove five of the tourists’ top seven.
And the 18-year-old rookie’s success will set alarm bells ringing ahead of a schedule that will see England play five Tests against India, the world’s No1 team, after the two-Test series is finished here.
The spectacle of English batsmen struggling against the turning ball is nothing new. Yet Cook’s side will have to wise up quickly if they are to get through their slog on the Subcontinent without being humiliated.
Defeat against Bangladesh, who have only ever beaten Zimbabwe at home and whose 93 Tests to date have garnered just seven victories, would certainly rank as that.
However, half-centuries from Moeen and Jonny Bairstow, who shared an 88-run stand for the sixth wicket, ensured England remained in contention in this match.
Moeen led a charmed life, surviving five DRS calls on his way to his eighth half-century.
That is a record for a Test batsman, and three of them saw the all-rounder successfully overturn incorrect lbw calls given by Sri Lankan umpire Kumar Dharmasena.
Bangladesh also burned both their reviews in an attempt to remove the Englishman.
Moeen’s runs proved vital and he admitted the precarious nature of his innings made it even more satisfying. “It was very tough – the hardest 60 I’ve ever got,” he said. “They were dirty runs, it was nice.
“It was a massive mental challenge, especially with the reviews. I kept missing the ball and it was hitting my pad. I couldn’t figure out why.
“It’s a decent position. We said at one point even 250 might be a good score but that partnership between Jonny and myself was crucial.”
Two of Moeen’s successful reviews came in the first over after lunch, bowled by Shakib Al Hasan, with the first shown to be missing the stumps and the next, just two balls later, pitching outside the line of leg stump. Before lunch
Moeen had overturned the first dodgy call from Dharmasena when the technology proved he had hit a ball from Taijul Islam before it crashed into his pads.
England had lost Ben Duckett, bowled by fellow debutant Mehedi, Cook, who was also bowled by Shakib in his England-record 134th Test appearance, and Gary Ballance, trapped lbw by Mehedi, early on. Joe Root, who survived until lunch