Kyle Edmund is doing his bit to fly the flag for the Brits in Andy Murray’s absence, through to the second round of Australian Open 2018 with a comeback five-set triumph over US Open finalist Kevin Anderson.
In the battle of the two Johannesburg-born players, it was the more consistent Edmund who withstood the 11th seed’s 35 aces to prevail 6-7(4) 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-4 on Monday.
For the second time in as many meetings between the pair – after Anderson’s victory in the third round at Roland Garros last season – the match would go the distance.
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But this moment belonged to the Brit – this, the highest-ranked player he had beaten.
“Yeah, really good result for me. It was great to win at the end like that… Just getting through a tough match like that. Also a quality player [who] had a good year last year, started this year really well,” Edmund said.
“Those type of results make it just really feel good, worth it basically. So really happy.”
Three times Anderson had ventured to the fourth round at Melbourne Park but his deepest run at a major came as a bolt from the blue at Flushing Meadows last season where, as the No.32 seed, he became the first South African to reach a Grand Slam final since Kevin Curren at Australian Open 1984, before he went down to Rafael Nadal.
Keen to prove his surprise run to last year’s US Open final was no flash in the pan, he got off to the perfect start when he ripped back-to-back forehand winners to close out the opening-set tiebreak.
Both players arrived with a solid lead-up campaign.
Anderson had ended a three-match losing streak to reach the final in Pune, India, while Edmund arrived on the back of an impressive run in Brisbane where he reached the quarterfinals with three-set triumphs over Next Gen players Denis Shapovalov and Hyeon Chung, before he fell to Grigor Dimitrov.
“I lost a lot of close ones last year. I wanted to do better this year, especially against those more top guys, I guess,” Edmund said. “Like Brisbane, I had two good wins against two young guys, but quality opponents.
“Yeah, quite a good measure actually. When I lost last April, May to Kevin in five, it's a good measure. Like what is it, nine, eight months on [from] that I'm beating him in five now? Of course, close margins. Maybe I would have lost, but I didn't. I won. It's good to see that.”
After a 20-minute rain delay, with scores locked at a set apiece on Showcourt 3, a concentration lapse cost 23-year-old Edmund the break for 3-5 as Anderson served his way to a two-sets-to-one advantage.
Edmund had five in mind, however, and set about sending it the distance when he survived triple break point to hold for 3-0 in the fourth, bringing a fist pump of approval from his coach, Fredrik Rosengren.
It was Edmund who stood steadier as he levelled at two sets all and he capitalised on the 11th seed’s soaring error count to break for 4-3, before closing it out to book a second-round meeting with Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin, an earlier four-set winner of Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
He may be doing it alone at this year’s Australian Open, but carrying the flag for the British men doesn't feel so daunting right now for Edmund.
