Kyle Edmund on Day Two of the Schroders Battle of the Brits in London, England
Kyle Edmund on Day Two of the Schroders Battle of the Brits in London, England | (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for Battle Of The Brits)

Tennis | ATP Washington 2022 | Edmund makes ATP Tour return, faces Watanuki in Washington opener

By Tony Fairbairn

  • Kyle Edmund [PR] v Yosuke Watanuki [Q]
  • H2H: First Meeting
WASHINGTON D.C., USA – Kyle Edmund makes his ATP Tour return this week in Washington and he will face Japanese qualifier Yosuke Watanuki in his opening match.

 

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H2H & Match Fundamentals

Kyle Edmund [PR] v Yosuke Watanuki [Q] H2H: First Meeting
ATP Washington Washington D.C., USA
Hard (O) Prize Money: $7,620
John Harris Stadium (17:00 BST) Amazon Prime Video <– Sign up for trial

Kyle Edmund makes his ATP Tour return in Washington after missing out on nearly two years of action and first up for the Brit is Japanese qualifier Yosuke Watanuki.

 

Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2022)

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H2H: Kyle Edmund (WR 496) Yosuke Watanuki (WR 238)
Tournament Previous Best QF (2019) R1 (2018)
1st Serve % 53.4 56.3
Service Games Won % 82.9 84.5
Break Points Saved % 70 70.5
2nd Serve Return Points Won % 57.1 50
Break Points Converted % 36 44.4

Edmund will need to be aware of the Japanese star’s clinical break point conversion rate while the Brit can take positives from his serving stats at the challenger event in Winnipeg last week.

 

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Playing styles and prediction

The Japanese star is playing only his second ATP event of the season having spent most of the year on the challenger circuit. Watanuki has qualified for challengers but lacked the consistent firepower to go deep in tournaments and will look to change his fortunes in America’s capital.

Edmund will look to be consistent on serve and gradually find his range from the baseline on a consistent basis as there is bound to be some rest having spent a couple of years out. Should Edmund serve and play like he did last week on the Challenger tour than he should have enough to get past Watanuki although the match could have lots of up and downs with nerves being a factor in this match.

Prediction: Edmund in three sets.

 

 

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