US Open shock: Britain’s Kyle Edmund upsets Richard Gasquet in Flushing Meadows debut
Big-hitting Briton makes a splash on US Open debut, up-ending world number 15 Richard Gasquet 6-2, 6-2, 6-3
Big-hitting Briton Kyle Edmund made a splashy US Open debut on Monday, up-ending world number 15 Richard Gasquet 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 to reach the second round at Flushing Meadows.
“Days like this feel really good,” added Edmund, acknowledging he’d had plenty of the not-so-good in the build-up to the final grand slam of 2016. “Luckily the match when I needed it, it came good against a good opponent.”
It was Edmund’s second career win over a top-20 foe, coming after his upset of France’s Gilles Simon en route to the quarter-finals at Queen’s Club in June.
Edmund was unable to build on that grass court success at Wimbledon, where he lost in the first round.
That high, however, was followed by a first-round loss in Toronto, a second-round exit at the Rio Olympics and a failure to make it out of qualifying at the Cincinnati Masters.
Even though he has struggled in the hard court build up to the US Open, Edmund said there was “no doubt” his Davis Cup experiences had made him stronger and he was philosophical about the fact that neither the Davis Cup nor Olympics offered world ranking points that could bolster his position and make his way smoother in a grand slam.
“I see it as building experience,” he said. “Even though there is maybe not points in there, the experience from that will benefit me far more than the points in the long term. So, yeah, that’s just the way it is.”
“I just remained calm,” said Edmund, who won the last five games to secure the victory and book a clash with US wildcard Ernesto Escobedo.
“I had a good game to break him, and then because I got that momentum, it really helped me kick through towards the end of the match. Those experiences definitely do help, and I think I’m getting some good ones now.”