FIRST THE OVEN ..THEN THE LOVE-IN
Edmund hailed by Murray brothers after battling through 39C slugfest
KYLE EDMUND survived a gruelling slugfest in the sun to reach the last 16 of the Australian Open for the first time.
The British No.2 showed huge fighting spirit in 39 degree heat to outlast Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili.
One brutal game at the start of the fourth set lasted 20 minutes before he triumphed 7-6 3-6 4-6 6-0 7-5 in three hours and 34 minutes. It was survival of the fittest.
After setting up a fourthround tie with Italy’s Andreas Seppi, Andy Murray tweeted: “Physical test passed.. Mental strength passed..I reckon that’s biggest win of @kyle8edmund career!”
His brother Jamie added: “What a fight! Slugfest.”
Edmund, the only British singles player carrying the flag Down Under, said: “It’s really hard to say if it’s the best win or not. For sure, the physical test, it was a great win for me to come through like that in a Grand Slam.
“It was hot, man. It was tough out there. Probably the hottest conditions I have played in for that period of time.
“It drains your energy, zaps the energy out of you. I showed good character to come through that.”
World No.49 Edmund racked up 70 winners and 64 errors in a rollecoaster encounter against the world No.61 and took only seven of 27 break points.
But the 23-year-old has now shed the label of a loser of close matches after also seeing off No.11 seed Kevin Anderson in the first round.
Legend John McEnroe said: “Having seen him in the past struggle physically in these big, long matches, it looks like he’s made a huge step forward.”
And Greg Rusedksi added: “I think he’s in line to reach his first Grand Slam quarterfinal.”
The first time Edmund reached the fourth round at a Grand Slam, he faced Novak Djokovic at the 2016 US Open. This time he is up against world No.87 Seppi, who won his own five-setter against Ivo Karlovic.