Kyle up a set and a break at 7-6(2) 3-1*

Well. A win is a win, as they say and Kyle could do with a few more now.

Interview with Kyle after his QR1 match.

www.winstonsalemopen.com/news/first_day_of_qualies_complete/

FQR: (q1/Alt) Kyle Edmund WR 45 beat (q7) Jonathan Eysseric (FRA) WR 287 (CH 202 in June 2013) 6-3 6-1

Looks efficiently done, just 11 points against in the second set.

With the 16 MD seeds getting byes in a 48 man draw ( and Kyle would have been a MD seed if entered on time ) his R1 possible opponents are one of Young, Berlocq, Fabbiano, Gulbis or Zeballos.

The other seed in Kyle's section of the draw is (17) Joao Sousa, bumped up into the withdrawn (4) Kevin Anderson's position. So he could be meeting Sousa again in the L16 here a little over a week after their Cincinnati match.

Ok so if things work out Jao Sousa would be a great opponent from a development perspective. Loosing in 3 is all part of a young players development particularly against more experienced opponents of similar or slightly higher rank, with 6 Yrs more experience of how to adjust their game, alter the games tempo, control it to your advantage. All game management skills to beat an opponent even when out gunned.

We have seen through out Kyles development the ability to go away work out a game plan and comeback with a better performance. I think it is important to note this year when playing many of the top guys he is getting his first look at them. The top 50 is not packed with 22 year olds. Kyle is the 4th best under 23 year old in the world, perspective is important, I don't understand the jitters this guy is mentally very strong just needs to keep thinking about his development and keep working. He has done fantastically well already in the top 10 best British players of the modern era if not top 5, would we be anything but euphoric about such a prospect if there had been no Andy?

I know some are dissatisfied that Kyle is only top 50 at 22 and the concept of "less young" is evolving as a way of distorting the fact that 22 is young particularly when 2/3rds of the top 30 are at least 28 and a significant proportion tending to profoundly geriatric making Kyle by the modern definition of an elite tennis player a neonate. I don't think I am blind to the weaknesses in Kyles game, nature has given him some fabulous weapons 3-4 years of nurturing will allow him to learn how when and where to unleash them with great effect. 

-- Edited by Oakland2002 on Monday 21st of August 2017 08:35:12 AM

May I make it very clear that I don't question that historically Kyle's ranking for a Brit of his age and against his peers in general is extremely good, of course it is. Being as some may have noticed rather statto minded I am pretty well aware of all that. And I certainly don't put Andy into the equation of my thoughts.

My main issue ( sorry for having an issue ) is that I think Kyle individually could be doing better as in part evidenced by being so competitive against very good players for big periods of matches. That he ultimately loses so many with many match comments of his level dropping is something that is a problem and I would hope more thought is going into it than waiting for it to click or for him to somehow just develop 3 set winning mentality. And again there surely is indeed a mentality issue to that. No doubt it can be worked on, and to some extent it is not surprising as you join the more elite, but there is so much evidence that it is there to probably too high a degree.

Again, in the grand scheme of things Kyle is doing very well. But I want to see Brits be the best that they can be and I don't think Kyle is. And while recognising the very clear general changes in age performance perameters nor do I think we should get too obsessed with when average peak age is and accept everything before is so much just development to that. Better get there sooner and have a longer period at higher echelons if he is capable. I think he may be if he can believe in it himself.