LAST BRIT IN PAINFUL EXIT
KYLE EDMUND paid the price for a hectic tennis schedule last night when he retired injured from the US Open.
The British No.2 needed extensive treatment on a neck and shoulder injury as he was downed by Canadian kid Denis Shapovalov.
Edmund’s body gave up on him as he paid the ultimate price for a run of 10 matches in the last 14 days.
The South Africanborn player, 28, quit in pain in the fourth set with the score at 3-6 6-3 6-3 1-0 with him he failing to reach the fourth round for the second year in a row.
He held his own for the first two sets but needed lengthy treatment when he was 3-2 up in the third.
A physio worked patiently to try to release the muscles on his neck and shoulders. But it was of no use as the Edmund – last Briton in the singles draw – gave up the next three games without winning a point.
He was broken again at 5-3 and in total, he underwent three spells of treatment.
Unsurprisingly he signalled that could not continue when qualifier Shapovalov (below) went a game up in the fourth.
Edmund was forced to do qualifiers at the recent Winston Salem event, which he entered late after firstround failures in previous tournaments in Cincinatti and Montreal.