Kyle Edmund defeated by Gael Monfils at Wimbledon
Friday 7 July 2017 13:02, UK
Britain's Kyle Edmund was eliminated from Wimbledon in the second round by Gael Monfils on Thursday.
Frenchman Monfils completed a 7-6 6-4 6-4 victory to remove the British No 2 from the Grand Slam.
Edmund, the world No 50, had already secured his best-ever run at Wimbledon but was foiled by 14th-ranked Monfils who reached the third round for the sixth time.
Edmund hung tough in the opening set, remaining level after eight games, but his big chance to cause an upset seemingly disappeared when he wasted three break points. Monfils, from 4-4, was allowed to escape with his service game intact providing a springboard into a tie-break which the Frenchman then dominated 7-1.
Monfils immediately broke Edmund at the beginning of the second set, providing a bleak outlook for the Brit, but he swiftly returned the favour to draw level at 3-3.
Monfils broke again for 5-4, taking him into a two-set lead, before his trademark athleticism came to the fore in the third with a leaping smash.
A three-game winning run for Edmund hinted at a gutsy comeback but Monfils, buoyed by two breaks, strung together five games in a row then eventually ended the Brit's tournament.
Up next for Monfils will be another Frenchman after Adrian Mannarino beat Japan's Yuichi Sugita in five sets while for Edmund, it's another steep step on his learning curve.
"It was my first time ever on Centre Court, and you watch so many matches on Centre Court, and it's like one thing saying you're going to be on Centre or looking at the atmosphere and actually experiencing it is another thing.
"I enjoyed it, I didn't enjoy the loss, but I enjoyed the experience, being on the biggest court.
"In the past I have played on big courts and come off saying I didn't quite get my game going or only got going later on in the match, it was nice I got going quite quickly.
"Each set I felt had a bit of a chance, broke back in the second, and obviously he was a break up in the third. It was a great match to learn from. I got my game out on court, which is something I wanted to do, and just a bit of lack of maturity at this stage."
For those on the move, we will have Wimbledon covered via our website skysports.com/tennis and then click through to our dedicated section skysports.com/tennis/wimbledon. On the move? Head to our app for mobile devices and iPad, or follow our Twitter account @SkySportsTennis to join in the conversation. Who will win the All England Club titles this summer? Have your say...
