Kyle Edmund has moved into the round of 8 at the New York Open after beating Dominik Koepfer 6-2 6-4 in a game that lasted less than two hours.

This would be his second quarter-final entry this year so far after his first in Australia. He is also trying to regain his form after injuries kept him out of shape in 2019. Edmund had a good first set, pressing the German at all corners and frustrating his every move. His opponent was only able to make two points. The second set seemed a bit tougher for Edmund as his opponent sought to turn things around and even force the game into an extra set. But Edmund was determined not to back down as he still came back to defeat Koepfer.

For Edmund, he needs the win more than anything else. Currently ranked as one of the best British players, the circumstances in 2019 did not allow him to fly as high as he was supposed to, making him almost inactive the entire year. He is ready to make up for that especially after his defeat at Melbourne in an unfortunate turn of events. Edmund was already leading Dusan Lajovic 5-2 before the match was suspended following a storm that was approaching. He failed to convert this to a win as he suffered defeat at the hands of the Serbian, amidst jeers, ending his stay at the Australian Open just in the first round, for the second year in a row.

He seems ready to put all that behind him by playing better in the New York Open. Since he defeated Yasutaka Uchiyama on Wednesday to emerge to the round of 16, there have been high hopes for the British, and his Thursday’s back-to-back win capitalized on that. He would face Soonwoo Kwon to have a shot at the semi-finals. Kwon had just shocked everybody by defeating top-seeded Canadian, Milos Raonic. No doubt he has a lot of zeal around him as he is a very fast player with great precision.

Edmund would be the only British progressing to the round of 8 as his compatriot, Cameron Norrie, was beaten and has now left the tournament.

Written by: Leon Osamor