Kyle Edmund’s superb run at the US Open ended in disappointment as the British No 4 was blown away by Novak Djokovic in their fourth round clash.
Advertisement
The 21-year-old Edmund won 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (5) on Friday.
Earlier, Djokovic was gifted a path through to the next round after Mikhail Youzhny retired with a hamstring injury.
If Edmund was feeling nervous before his US Open third-round match against home favourite Isner – arguably the biggest of his career so far – those feelings did not last long. At the ensuing changeover, Djokovic was visited by the trainer, who pressed a thumb just above the back of the player’s right elbow, while manipulating that joint in various ways.
“It’s been a great tournament so far”, Edmund said courtside in his understated way.
“I’m sorry you guys watching didn’t get to see a full match”.
Edmund said: “Playing John, your chances don’t come very often”. So it’s good to play an entire match, considering I had not much time spent on the court in last couple rounds.
Few players in the world have to look after their bodies like Nadal and throughout the game it was clear that the Spaniard wanted to spend as little time on the court as possible, so in order to put the minimal amount of strain on his body. He’s there, rightly so, he’s been very consistent at a high level.
He concluded, “I’ll learn from what happened in Miami (when Djokovic beat Edmund 6-3 6-3)”.
It helped Edmund that Isner played a poor service game to hand him an early break. He secured the first set’s lone break and held serve to win the opener in 31 minutes. He’d soaked up Isner’s bombs and returned them with interest: all in all, he was handling the pressure well.
Djokovic flew out of the blocks, breaking Edmund twice before serving out for the set as the Briton, whose rasping forehand drew gasps from the crowd, seemed impatient to hit winners and committed a series of unforced errors.
Isner nearly got off to the ideal start in the third set, but Edmund fought back determinedly from 0-40 down in the opening game to hold. He controlled the Isner match from start to finish and didn’t get rattled by beating a top-25 player. But, from there, Isner’s inability to lift a backhand half-volley over the net gave Edmund a minibreak. Yet Edmund has beaten them both.
And yet it was in that same game that Edmund began his mini-run.
Edmund kissed the baseline for 6-3 and three match points.
Advertisement
Isner’s inside-out forehand saved the first of those, and his service victor saved a second. Then he pulled out of the French Open before his third-round match because of a torn tendon sheath in his left wrist, an injury that forced him to withdraw from Wimbledon altogether and miss about 2½ months on tour in all. And he clinched it with a huge, expansive forehand of his own.
