Kyle Edmund last Briton standing after beating Marton Fucsovics to reach French Open third round

For the third Grand Slam event in a row Kyle Edmund is the last British singles player left in the tournament. On a day which saw the departure of Cameron Norrie and Heather Watson, who were the only other Britons left in singles here at the French Open, Edmund beat Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics 6-0, 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 on Thursday to earn a third-round meeting with Italy’s Fabio Fognini.

In his four appearances in the main draw here Edmund has never failed to win a match and has now equalled his best run at Roland Garros, when he reached the third round last year before losing to Kevin Anderson.

“You just focus on what you're doing,” Edmund said when asked how it felt to be the last British player left standing. “It doesn't change your way of thinking or anything. If you're the last or the first to go out or whatever, you're just focusing on your job at hand and getting on with it.”

A bright future had been predicted for Fucsovics when he won the Wimbledon junior title in 2010, but it took the Hungarian seven years of toil, mostly on the Challenger circuit, just to reach the world’s top 100. However, he rose to a career-high position at No 45 in the rankings after winning the first senior title of his career last week in Geneva, where he became the first Hungarian to win a men’s tour title for 36 years.

The match on Court 3 followed Watson’s defeat by Mertens. Any lingering disappointment for the British fans was quickly dispelled as Edmund took the first set in just 29 minutes. He struck the ball sweetly from the start as Fucsovics struggled under a barrage of crunching forehands and backhands.

The Hungarian finally got on the scoreboard when he held serve in the opening game of the second set, upon which the momentum suddenly changed. Edmund was troubled by a cut on the forefinger of his right hand which he had taped by a trainer - but only after he had dropped serve twice in a row and trailed 5-0.

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Edmund held serve for 1-5 and had a break point in the following game, but Fucsovics held firm and went on to take the second set in the time that it had taken Edmund to win the first.

It was a surprising turnaround given Edmund’s supremacy in the first set, but order was restored at the start of the third as the Briton broke at the first attempt and soon led 3-0. When Fucsovics served to stay in the set at 2-5 Edmund broke again as the Hungarian missed a backhand on the first set point.

There were no breaks in the fourth set until Fucsovics served at 3-4, though Edmund had been forced to save three break points at 2-2. Fucsovics saved one match point but on the second he hit a forehand beyond the baseline to give Edmund victory after two hours and 16 minutes.

Fognini, who beat Sweden’s Elias Ymer 6-4, 6-1, 6-2, is a clay-court specialist who is one of a select group of players who have beaten Rafael Nadal more than once on his favourite surface.

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Edmund has never played the 31-year-old Italian but is well aware of the threat he poses. He remembers in particular Fognini’s crucial victory over Andy Murray when Italy beat Britain in the Davis Cup in Naples four years ago.

“He likes to build points,” Edmund said. “He plays a clay-court game. He likes to have time behind the baseline, doesn't hug it too much. But he plays with a lot of shape and spin and when the ball is short he moves up. I think has pretty easy power on the clay.”

Edmund added: “He’s an emotional type of player. That's just the way he is as a personality. That doesn't necessarily make a difference in terms of your thought process. You've still got to go in and do your thing.”

Edmund said he was learning all the time, but admitted that he felt more comfortable here with each passing year. “You get a little bit more confident,” he said. “You get years more experience on the tour playing all the top tournaments. You get a little bit more comfortable with your surroundings and I guess a little bit smarter on court. You learn more about yourself off the court and on it.”