KONTA AND KYLE FIGHT ON
KYLE EDMUND marked his official entry into the world’s top 20 last night with a win that was busy rather than brilliant at the Foro Italico, carrying him into the Italian Open second round. And with the road to Wimbledon starting out in earnest, there was a similar victory for his female counterpart as British No 1 Jo Konta also came through despite being at less than her most fluent. On a chill evening that made for sluggish conditions, Edmund backed up his quarter-final at Madrid by beating world No 64 Malek Jaziri 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. He faces France’s Lucas Pouille or Italy’s Andreas Seppi next. Konta bristles at the idea that she is not at her best on clay, although the record tends to suggest that, and she is still looking for her first main draw win at the French Open. She was not entirely comfortable in overcoming Magdalena Rybarikova 6-4, 6-3 but, as with Edmund, there was no lack of determination. Not until her 10th break point did she finally convert a chance against Rybarikova, the Slovak who reached the Wimbledon semi-finals last year. ‘I feel great,’ Konta said. ‘I have never not liked clay and actually I am really enjoying playing on the surface this year. ‘I think I am a little clearer on how I want to play and also on how to keep my game as it is because it is as effective on the clay as it is on the grass and the hard, so I think I am doing a better job this season.’ Serena Williams’s coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, reported yesterday that he was ‘confident and satisfied’ that she will be at Roland Garros, despite pulling out of the Italian Open and last week’s Madrid Open.