Edmund sweeps aside Pouille to reach third round in Rome

Kyle Edmund maintained his fine clay court season form with a 6-2 7-6 (7/3) second-round victory over Frenchman Lucas Pouille at Italian Open in Rome yesterday.

The Briton defeated Novak Djokovic and David Goffin on his way to the quarter-finals in Madrid last week and that form moved the 23-year-old into the top 20 of the ATP rankings on Monday.

The world No 19 needed three sets to see off qualifier Malek Jaziri in the first round, but a dominant serving performance, where he offered just one break point, ensured a smoother path into the last 16 where he will face second seed Alexander Zverev.

Top seed Rafael Nadal cruised past Damir Dzumhur 6-1 6-0, while former world No 1 Novak Djokovic was also comfortable in beating Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-4 6-2,

There were also wins for Marin Cilic and Kei Nishikori but No 6 seed Dominic Thiem crashed to defeat against Fabio Fognini.

Meanwhile Johanna Konta demonstrated her improving form in a convincing win over Hsieh Su-wei in the second round of the women’s competition.

The British No 1 looked confident and assertive in a 6-0 6-4 victory over the unconventional Hsieh, who shocked Konta in the first round of the French Open last summer.

On that occasion Konta breezed through the first set before losing her way.

After losing just six points in the first six games, the 26-year-old found herself in a more competitive second set and Hsieh recovered from 5-2 to 5-4 before Konta clinched victory on her fifth match point.

In the next round Konta will face reigning French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.

British No 1 Kyle Edmund.