Edmund blows chance to join famous five

KYLE Edmund’s dream of reaching the third round at Wimbledon was dashed by Gael Monfils on Centre Court.

The British number two had hoped to join compatriots Andy Murray, Johanna Konta, Heather Watson and Aljaz Bedene to make it a famous five in the last 32 for the first time in 20 years.

But Edmund, 22, ran into extrovert 15th seed Monfils, who used his full range of power and finesse to send the world number 50 packing 7-6 (7/1) 6-4 6-4.

Edmund will look back on a missed opportunity to secure only his second win at the All England Club.

The home hope did not drop a point in his opening two service games and forced seven deuces, and two break points, against the Monfils serve at 4-4.

But having failed to secure the break, Edmund capitulated in a one-sided tiebreak thanks to a catalogue of unforced errors.

Breaks had already been shared in the second set when Edmund’s levels dropped at precisely the wrong time.

A limp service game handed Monfils the initiative which he did not let go of, brutally serving out the set in barely 30 seconds.

When Monfils netted an attempted slam dunk Edmund secured an early break in the third, but at 3-0 up the wheels came off again.

Monfils raced away with the next five games and soon served out to end Edmund’s Wimbledon bid.

Meanwhile, American Bethanie Mattek-Sands suffered a horror injury and had to be taken from court on a stretcher.

The 32-year-old’s knee appeared to buckle under her as she slipped during her second-round match with Romanian Sorana Cirstea on Court 17.

In obvious distress, Mattek-Sands screamed out “Help me” as she lay on the turf as she was attended to by paramedics on court.