By Jake Davies
- Frances Tiafoe defeats Kyle Edmund 7-6 (4) 4-6 7-6 (5)
MIAMI, USA – Kyle Edmund’s second match as the British No.1 ended with a tough defeat as he lost in a 3rd set tiebreak to America’s Frances Tiafoe at the Miami Open.
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Frances Tiafoe defeats Kyle Edmund 7-6 (4) 4-6 7-6 (5)
This was just Kyle Edmund‘s second match since making the Australian Open semi-finals at the end of January and the Brit had spent the best part of two months recovering from injury and a bout of illness coming into Indian Wells.
The first set very much got away from Edmund. He was serving at an exceptional standard, dictating with his fearsome forehand and not looking out of place against a player that is one of the most in form players on tour right now.
Edmund had a set point at 6-5 in the first set and led 4-3 with two serves to come in the tiebreak, but would then go on to lose four points in a row to lose the set. A missed overhead pretty much sealed his fate, but he did well to react as you would expect from a British No.1 and a player playing close to a career high ranking.
After taking the second set, Edmund looked in control of his destiny and served for the match at *5-4 in the 3rd set, but that is where it all unraveled for the Brit. Once he lost that game it all fell apart and the lack of competitive matchplay over the last two months seemed to catch up on him.
Tiafoe had won six of his last seven matches including a title win in Delray Beach, so he was match ready and he had beaten some of the best players on tour to get that title and it showed in his response and his fighting spirit in the last couple of games. It felt like he acknowledged that Edmund was feeling exhausted and had very little left to give to the contest and it resulted in Tiafoe becoming even more motivated to get the win.
Tiafoe rallied to a 6-1 lead in the tiebreak, nearly threw the match away but recovered enough to seal the win with an ace. Ultimately it will be seen as a disappointment for Edmund, but with an accumulation of decent matches under his belt he should be set for a promising clay court swing.
Edmund is scheduled to play in Marrakech in April.
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