Edmund suffers fourth-consecutive defeat having struggled on the surface so far this season
Tuesday 7 May 2019 21:11, UK
British No 1 Kyle Edmund suffered more clay-court agony after losing to the in-form Fabio Fognini at the Mutua Madrid Open on Tuesday.
Edmund, who has suffered early exits in three clay tournaments, went down to another first-round defeat, losing 6-4 6-3 in 90 minutes to the 10th-ranked Italian.
It was a very tough draw against the hugely-talented Italian, with Fognini on a winning run after claiming the Masters title in Monte-Carlo last month.
Edmund had chances, particularly in the first set, but, after recovering an early break, he could not forge ahead against the player who beat him in five sets in the third round of the French Open last summer.
The Briton showed resilience in saving 12 of the 16 break points he faced but his second serve proved vulnerable and he will head to Rome next week desperate for wins ahead of Roland Garros.
Two-time Madrid Open champion Novak Djokovic cruised through to the third round of the tournament following a 6-4 6-2 triumph over Taylor Fritz in a brisk 64 minutes.
Stan Wawrinka ended a three-match losing streak in Madrid by defeating Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-2 6-3, while Brazil Open champion Guido Pella upset 12th-seeded Daniil Medvedev 6-2 1-6 6-3.
Roger Federer made a winning return to clay with a 6-2 6-3 victory over Richard Gasquet.
Playing a clay-court match for the first time since 2016, Federer needed less than an hour to ease past Gasquet and reach the third round of a tournament he last won in 2012.
The 37-year-old Federer has skipped the clay court season for the last two years to make sure he was fit for the rest of the year.
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