By Niall Clarke
- Kyle Edmund is out of the Qatar Open
- He suffered a 6-3, 6-2 loss to Tomas Berdych
- There were wins for Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic
Doha, Qatar- Kyle Edmund is out of the Qatar Open after suffering a straight sets defeat at the hands of Tomas Berdych.
The third seed proved too strong for the Brit and came through an easy 6-3, 6-2 winner to book a semi final showdown with world number one, Novak Djokovic.
The signs that this will be a tough match for Edmund came early with a break in the Brit’s second service game. The 20 year old had break back chances at 4-2 but failed to convert any of the two that he earned.
Keen to not make this match complicated, Berdych pressed for a break to seal the set 6-2. Edmund however kept his chances alive by saving three set points from 0-40 down. Unfortunately for the Brit, he could not prevent the Czech sealing the first set 6-3.
The world number six continued that momentum into the second set where he secured a break in the first game. Edmund had break back chances but could not convert, and instead it would be Berdych who extended his advantage with a double break.
From that point it was academic, and the Czech served out the match to end Edmund’s run from qualifying at the quarter final stage.
It was a good start to the season for the British number three none the less. He was ultimately beaten by the better player on the day, but he can be proud of a milestone week which will act as a catalyst for his 2016 campaign.
Berdych will meet Djokovic in tomorrow’s semi finals after the world number one defeat Leonardo Mayer 6-3, 7-5. It is most certainly the toughest match-up for the Czech on tour with Djokovic leading 21-2 in their series. A win for the Serbian will make it the first head to head to have a +20 differential in ATP history.
Rafael Nadal will also be in the last four after a tough three set win over Andrey Kuznetsov. The Spaniard was far from his best and scuppered a set and a break lead before coming through 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.
Nadal will meet Illya Marchenko tomorrow. The Ukrainian conquered David Ferrer in the opening round and has continued that good form all the way to the semi finals. He defeated sixth seed Jeremy Chardy in straight sets in the day’s first match-up.
The Qatar open will resume with Nadal vs Marchenko at 15:00 GMT Friday afternoon.
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