Kyle Edmund’s dream of reaching the Australian Open final is over after the British star lost his last-four clash against Marin Cilic.
Battling a leg injury, Edmund was beaten by the Croatian in straight sets 6-2, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 this morning on Rod Laver Arena.
Sixth seed Cilic, who will now face Roger Federer or Hyeon Chung in Sunday’s final, was full of praise for the 23-year-old Briton. He said: “He’s playing great tennis and had an extremely tough run to the semis. Definitely, it left some scars on his body – I can feel that too. He has a bright future ahead of him.”
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The BBC’s Russell Fuller says that Edmund can be proud of his “spectacular fortnight” in Melbourne. He will move into the top 25 in the world rankings when they are published next week.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 live, former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash believes the British star could go even higher than the world’s top 25.
“This is not the first semi-final we’ll see Kyle in,” said Cash. “He’s too good an athlete. Mentally he’s very focused. We’re used to seeing [Andy] Murray grumpy and miserable for hours on end if he misses a shot! Kyle is the opposite.”
Cash praised the British player’s attitude, arguing it would take him far. “He’ll be a top 10 player for sure,” he said. “Maybe higher.”
Cash predicts that Edmund will do really well on clay, where he faces a lot of competition, but hard courts could be the making of him.
“I think in time, Kyle will prefer the hard court. He’ll get a little bit more oomph. You see how aggressive he can be,” he said.
Adjusting to grass could be harder, according to Cash. “Grass may be a place he will struggle because players will be able to get to his backhand more.”
