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Edmund advances whilst Bedene falls

Niall Clarke
Tennis

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By Niall Clarke

  • Kyle Edmund defeats Lukas Rosol 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5)
  • Aljaz Bedene loses in three sets to Karen Khachanov
  • Edmund faces Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in round two.

Kyle Edmund is through to the second round of the Bucharest Open after a straight sets victory over Lukas Rosol, whilst Aljaz Bedene is dumped out in Barcelona.

Edmund edged the Czech in two tiebreak sets for a 7-6(4), 7-6(5) victory in an hour and 44 minutes. The British number three will face defending champion, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, in the next round.

“The weather has been hot and warm, which is quite different than in England, so it is taking me a bit of time to adjust to the conditions,” Edmund told ATPworldtour.com. “I was surprised with the turnout of the crowd today. It is quite a good atmosphere.

“I knew it was going to be a touch match against Rosol. He has been on the Tour for a long time [and] is very experienced. It was my first match on clay, so I needed to make adjustments from hard to clay. I never expected to play my best tennis today. I was just trying to be more comfortable with my movement as the match went on. I think I played well on the big points especially in the tie-breaks.”

The opening set went very much with serve with neither player being able to muster a break point. However, the 21 year old was able to scrape the tiebreak 7-4 to give himself a set advantage. Rosol came back strong to earn a double break in the second set, but Edmund was able to rescue another tiebreak, saving set points along the way. Once again he was able to edge the Czech in the breaker and send the former champion out of the tournament.

There was no such luck for Bedene, who despite winning the opening set, lost in three sets to 19 year old qualifier Karen Khachanov. The Brit won the first set 6-3, but the Russian came back strong in the second and third sets to seal a 3-6 6-3 7-6 (7-2) victory. The Russian will go on to face Roberto Bautista Agut in the second round.

Edmund will face Garcia-Lopez on Wednesday