Kyle Edmund's Madrid Open run ends in frustrating fashion

THE impressive run of Yorkshire's Kyle Edmund at the Madrid Open came to an angry end as he was beaten by Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov in their quarter-final clash.
Kyle Edmund shows his frustration during his match against Denis Shapovalov at the Madrid Open. Picture:  Photo/Paul WhiteKyle Edmund shows his frustration during his match against Denis Shapovalov at the Madrid Open. Picture:  Photo/Paul White
Kyle Edmund shows his frustration during his match against Denis Shapovalov at the Madrid Open. Picture: Photo/Paul White

Edmund, from Beverley, who had conquered Novak Djokovic and David Goffin in the previous rounds, lost his cool towards the end of a tight second set when he stopped after a spectator called out, and Shapovalov proceeded to serve an ace.

The incident temporarily affected Edmund, who had to subsequently save a match point to force a deciding set, in which he eventually fell to exit the tournament 7-5 6-7 (6/8) 6-4.

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Edmund had acquitted himself against a player rated as one of the game’s rising stars, swapping breaks early in the first set before a sloppy final service game saw the British number one fall behind.

Kyle Edmund speaks with the umpire during his match against Denis Shapovalov during the Madrid Open Picture: AP/Paul WhiteKyle Edmund speaks with the umpire during his match against Denis Shapovalov during the Madrid Open Picture: AP/Paul White
Kyle Edmund speaks with the umpire during his match against Denis Shapovalov during the Madrid Open Picture: AP/Paul White

A tight second set burst into life in the 10th game after the incident which saw Edmund engage in a furious exchange with the umpire over a point he considered could have cost him the match.

But Edmund showed admirable poise to edge through the eventual second set tie-break before Shapovalov grabbed what turned out to be the crucial break in the third game of the decider.

Nevertheless the 23-year-old Edmund gave his all in what was his first Masters 1000 quarter-final, and he can expect to be rewarded with a place in the top 20 for the first time when the new rankings appear on Monday.

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Elsewhere, Rafael Nadal lost his long unbeaten streak on clay and his world No 1 ranking after a shock defeat to Dominic Thiem in the quarter-finals.

Beverley's Kyle Edmund was beaten in three sets by Canada's Denis Shapovalov in the Madrid Open quarter-finals (Picture: Paul White/AP).Beverley's Kyle Edmund was beaten in three sets by Canada's Denis Shapovalov in the Madrid Open quarter-finals (Picture: Paul White/AP).
Beverley's Kyle Edmund was beaten in three sets by Canada's Denis Shapovalov in the Madrid Open quarter-finals (Picture: Paul White/AP).

The Spaniard had surpassed John McEnroe’s record for 50 straight-set wins on a single surface when he eased through to the last eight of the event on Thursday.

But Nadal could not maintain his form and went down 7-5 6-3 to the Austrian No 7, who broke his opponent’s serve five times in the two-hour match.

As a result of Nadal’s defeat, Roger Federer, who is sitting out the clay-court season, will return to world No 1 on Monday, but Nadal could regain top spot with a win in Rome.

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Maria Sharapova’s encouraging run at the Madrid Open came to an end when she was beaten by Kiki Bertens at the quarter-final stage.

Denis Shapovalov celebrates after defeating Kyle Edmund 7-5, 6-7, 6-4 AP/Paul WhiteDenis Shapovalov celebrates after defeating Kyle Edmund 7-5, 6-7, 6-4 AP/Paul White
Denis Shapovalov celebrates after defeating Kyle Edmund 7-5, 6-7, 6-4 AP/Paul White

Having made her first major quarter-final since returning from a drugs ban, Sharapova looked in good shape to extend her run when she took the first set 6-4.

But big-hitting Bertens, a former French Open semi-finalist, hit back to win 3-6 6-2 6-3, leaving Sharapova to acknowledge she still has improvements to make.