Zverev has too much for battling Kyle

WORLD No 3 Alex Zverev needed eight match points before seeing off Kyle Edmund 7-5, 7-6 (13-11) in the third round of the Italian Open. The defending champion, who had won his previous 22 sets, was broken twice by the British No 1 — the first time he had dropped serve in 65 games — but clung on and saved a set-point at 7-6 in a marathon tie-break. Earlier Jo Konta, on her 27th birthday, lost 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 to French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko. She battled hard in the deciding set but it is the fourth time this year that she has lost to a top-10 player after winning the first set. The LTA, who yesterday announced Mervyn Davies as their new chairman, received £33.6million from Wimbledon’s surplus last year, down from £37.7m the year before due to the expense of rebuilding Court No 1.