Australian Open 2018: Kyle Edmund digs deep to beat Nikoloz Basilashvili and reach fourth round for the first time

It was a gesture we had first seen 10 years ago, after Andy Murray had come back from two sets down to beat Richard Gasquet at Wimbledon. This time it was Kyle Edmund who was flexing his right bicep in celebration at a victory that might be just as significant in his own career as Murray’s was in the fourth round at the All England Club a decade ago.

Edmund’s 7-6, 3-6, 4-6, 6-0, 7-5 victory here over Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili took him into the fourth round of the Australian Open for the first time, which equalled his best run at a Grand Slam tournament, but the greater significance was the extraordinary strength and resilience the 23-year-old Briton had to show.

On a scorchingly hot day at Melbourne Park the temperature was already 36C by the time Edmund and Basilashvili walked on to court for the 11am start. By the time they left, more than three and a half hours later, the temperature was 40C. For a fair-skinned young man who had been brought up in Yorkshire, this was a gruelling test of endurance which he passed with flying colours.

Edmund has cramped in similarly testing conditions in the past and last year developed a reputation as a player who lost a number of close matches, but following his first-round victory here over Kevin Anderson, the US Open runner-up, this was the second time this week that he has won after losing two of the first three sets.

As result of his latest victory Edmund is likely to climb several places in the world rankings next week towards the career-high position of No 40 which he reached two years ago.

Murray, who is back in Britain following the hip surgery which kept him out of the tournament, sent his congratulations to “Kedders” on Twitter. “Physical test passed… mental strength passed,” Murray wrote. “I reckon that's [the] biggest win of Kyle Edmund’s career.” Jamie Murray was succinct. “What a fight!” the former world No 1 doubles player tweeted.

Basilashvili is the world No 61, but the 25-year-old Georgian, who loves to attack and go for his shots, can be a dangerous opponent and proved here that he can play the big points well. He saved 20 of Edmund’s 27 break points and converted five of his own total of seven.

However, Basilashvili’s Achilles heel was his serve. He hit 17 double faults (15 more than Edmund) and just 12 aces (to Edmund’s 20). With both players hitting aggressively from the baseline there were plenty of unforced errors (64 by Edmund and 68 by Basilashvili), while the Briton hit 70 winners to his opponent’s 38.

Novak Djokovic was among those who had suffered in the heat 24 hours earlier, calling the conditions “brutal”. Temperatures of up to 43C were forecast as the mini-heatwave reached its peak today. The advice was to wear headgear, to “slip slop slap” with plenty of sunblock and to keep drinking water. And that was just for the spectators.

For the players the only opportunity to cool down came at the changeovers, when they draped ice towels around their neck and did their best to rehydrate.

open image in gallery

With no shade for most of the spectators, there were large numbers of empty seats on Court 2 throughout the match. The heat was not the only challenge as there were times when a gusting wind made it feel like a giant hairdryer had been turned on.

Edmund made a ragged start, dropping serve in the opening game after making two successive errors and at 2-1 he took a medical time-out for treatment on his back. Given the demanding conditions his prospects did not look good, but the Briton broke back in the first game after the resumption and did not appear to have any physical difficulties thereafter.

The rest of the set was tight, but the tie-break could not have been more one-sided. Edmund played it to perfection. A brilliant drop shot from the back of the court took him to 6-0 and a big forehand return winner on the next point gave him the set.

open image in gallery

Edmund led 2-0 in the second set but Basilashvili, who had lost in four sets in his only previous meeting with the Briton two years ago at the French Open, fought back, breaking serve twice to lead 5-3. Despite wasting his first two set points with double faults, the Georgian levelled the match after Edmund made three successive forehand errors.

When Basilashvili led 3-1 in the third set the momentum had clearly swung his way. Edmund retrieved the break, only to hand it back immediately, after which Basilashvili served out for the set.

open image in gallery

The key game of the match came when Basilashvili served at 0-1 in the fourth set. It featured 15 deuces and eight break points for Edmund. Basilashvili was as solid as a rock on most of them, but Edmund finally made his breakthrough when the Georgian missed a forehand. The game took 20 minutes, which was a minute longer than the rest of the games in the set put together as Edmund won it 6-0, Basilashvili double-faulting on the third set point.

At 4-4 in the decider Edmund saved a break point and when Basilashvili served at 5-6 his 17th double fault took the score to 30-40, after which a netted backhand sealed his defeat. Edmund dropped his racket to the floor and raised his arms in celebration before making that public show of his strength which was so reminiscent of Murray.