Edmund strolls into third round

Originally published on 17/01/18 00:00

The Englishman was in full flow throughout his brisk second round clash with Denis Istomin – and he achieved a 6-2 6-2 6-4 victory in just 96 minutes.

Edmund had to fight and scrap to achieve a career-best win over Kevin Anderson on Monday, but a different type of performance was required against the Uzbekistani, who famously defeated Novak Djokovic 12 months ago.

The Brit used his superior firepower to establish control immediately. His imposing forehand, one of the best around, was red-hot from the outset and he wasted little time stamping his authority on the match.

Istomin struggled to cope with the aggressive intent from his youthful rival and offered little resistance. He appeared flat and seemed bothered by an ankle problem.

Edmund, who smacked an impressive 38 winners and committed just 20 unforced-errors, led from the first point until the last. He performed with a swagger that has not always been apparent, and has a real opportunity to progress even further.

World No.61, Nikoloz Basilashvili, will provide Edmund with his next challenge. The Georgian breezed into the last 32 after a 7-5 6-1 6-3 victory over Rubens Bemelmans.

“Even though the scoreline looks straightforward, there is always the danger of a player like Denis coming back into it,” said Edmund, who is into the third round at Melbourne Park for the first time.

“We all saw what Denis did he here last year, so I’m very happy. It was a professional performance and after having a four-hour match on Monday, it was really good to get it done much quicker today.

“The plan is always to get through, no matter how long it takes. If it takes five hours, then so be it, but it was only an hour and a half today which was perfect.”

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