Week 17 - ATP 250 - Millennium Estoril Open, Estoril, Portugal (clay)

TMH · Futures qualifying

Week 17 - ATP 250 - Millennium Estoril Open, Estoril, Portugal (clay)

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

L16: (3) Benoît Paire (FRA) WR 21 defeated Kyle Edmund WR 89 by 6-7(4) 6-3 6-3 cry

Jan · Hall of fame

Paire played a patchy match, but when he was good he was very very good.
Shame Kyle couldn't take one or two of the break points he had.

philwrig · Hall of fame

Just watching a bit of this match now, poor umpire is the 1st thing to take out of it, as for Kyle, playing very well for the most part, and as you say Jan Paire very up and down, but just doing enough to get the win. Still a further week of progress for Kyle, learning to play the full tour on a weekly basis, and picking up another win , so all good.

Oakland2002 · All-time great

Great to see that Kyle has successfully defended last years challenger QF 17 points playing in an ATP 250 with a small net gain, also promising that he took the first set off a 26 yr old at or close to the peak of his career and ranked in or around the top 20. The long term goal of top 10 ATP touring pro although still not a gimme now no longer a pipe dream. More power to Kyles elbow not that he needs it on the forehand.

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

Saw a great response from Kyle's dad on Twitter. Someone (a reporter, maybe) wrote that Kyle still needs to add more dimensions to his gave. Kyle's dad responded with "that's the exciting bit".

There is no doubt that Kyle still has a number of areas where there is room for improvement in his game, but that simply suggests that there is so much more to come from him in the future. Kyle and his team will be as aware of this as anyone. I am confident that Kyle's rise up the rankings will continue over the next couple of years for me, the "exciting bit" will be to see just how far he can go.

I always get the feeling with Kyle that he will leave no stone unturned as he makes every effort to fully maximise his potential.

A really good two weeks from Kyle with a couple of wins and plenty more experience against higher ranked opponents to tuck under his belt.

The Knight · Challenger qualifying

Difficult for me to specify what Kyle needs to work on as he can't say he has a specific weakness. Maybe just marginal gains on the serve, backhand and movement and keeping making that forehand more world class?

You could add work on the backhand slice and volleys but not sure Kyle will ever be a proper touch player

RJA · Hall of fame

The Knight wrote:
Difficult for me to specify what Kyle needs to work on as he can't say he has a specific weakness. Maybe just marginal gains on the serve, backhand and movement and keeping making that forehand more world class?

You could add work on the backhand slice and volleys but not sure Kyle will ever be a proper touch player

1. Movement

2. Movement

3. Movement

4. Did I mention movement?

Kyle has the weapons to compete with all but the very best but the more he plays at this level the more players will get used to him and expose his poor movement. For me the difference between him being a top 50 player and a top 20 one will be how much he improves his movement.

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

QF: Borna Coric & Franko Skugor (CRO/CRO) CR 992 (863+129) defeated Jonathan Erlich (ISR) & Colin Fleming CR 107 (46+61) by 4 & 4 bleh

philwrig · Hall of fame

I see that John Black, Kyle's former coach from his junior days was travelling with him this week.

indiana · Tennis legend

RJA wrote:
The Knight wrote:
Difficult for me to specify what Kyle needs to work on as he can't say he has a specific weakness. Maybe just marginal gains on the serve, backhand and movement and keeping making that forehand more world class?

You could add work on the backhand slice and volleys but not sure Kyle will ever be a proper touch player
1. Movement
2. Movement
3. Movement
4. Did I mention movement?

Kyle has the weapons to compete with all but the very best but the more he plays at this level the more players will get used to him and expose his poor movement. For me the difference between him being a top 50 player and a top 20 one will be how much he improves his movement.

Oh, I was just reading down and thinking that movement was the real biggee. I get here and see that that's been more than covered !

Vandenburg · Futures level

Agreed with all above, his movement may never improve, but I back him to work as hard as he can. He comes across as a very well, and with his head screwed on.

indiana · Tennis legend

His movement simply has to improve for that is the one thing that looks like it could clearly stop Kyle entering the really top echelons of the game.

And it undoubtably will, because every sign is that he will work on it. It will never be the best. I think Bob has it right in that a lot will depend just how much he can improve it.

Otherwise it continues to be great how steadily he improves to where he finds himself now in the top 100, competing in Slams and ATP events and on his day and maybe partly off days of others I feel ready to take the step of some big victories, although movement may especially be an issue against these players ( as of now he has still to record a victory over a top 40 player though he wasn't so far away against Paire ).

-- Edited by indiana on Thursday 28th of April 2016 04:06:27 PM

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

QF: (2) Treat Huey & Max Mirnyi (PHI/BLR) CR 46 (25+21) defeated (WC) Kyle Edmund & Frederico Ferreira Silva (POR) UNR (0+313) by 4 & 4

TMH · Futures qualifying

How important his movement is really depends on how much he develops his forehand and serve. Plenty top 20 and top 10 players over the years haven't been all that quick around the court, but more than may make up for it with power. Would rather see him become more of a Berdych type power player than a Raonic or Isner, though.