Unbeaten Edmund puts British juniors top of the world

Sixteen-year-old Edmund, who grew up in Beverley, won his singles match as Great Britain defeated Italy in the final in San Luis Potosi.

Edmund defeated Gianluigi Quinzi 6-3 6-4 to seal the win after Evan Hoyt had beaten Stefano Napolitano in straight sets.

Having been beaten in the final two years ago, this was a major achievement for junior tennis in the country as the team led by Greg Rusedski lived up to their billing as top seeds by adding the world crown to the European title they won earlier this summer.

“It’s great to win and be world champions,” said South Africa-born Edmund, who learnt the game at Beverley Lawn Tennis Club and the David Lloyd Centre in Hull, before beginning full-time training this summer at the Lawn Tennis Association headquarters in Roehampton, London.

“As a team we played really well all trip and it showed in the final.”

Edmund – who reached the semi-finals of the US Open boys singles last month – dropped only four games en route to a singles win in the semi-final triumph over France, his 6-1 6-3 victory against Alexandre Favrot prompting him to call it his best performance of the week.

“I felt comfortable out there,” he said after his semi-final victory.

“I was hitting the ball well in practise the day before and then again on the morning of the match so it set me up nicely.

“The conditions were different in the semi-final.

“It had been a bit overcast so it wasn’t as hot and so we weren’t really feeling as tired.”

Edmund also notched up wins in the group stages against Canada and Germany and partenered Luke Bambridge to doubles victories over opponents from Germany and Thailand in the doubles.

He was ill when he arrived in Mexico last week, but the powerful right-hander was paired with Bambridge to ease him into the competition in the first day’s play against Thailand.

He said: “The doubles was really good from a personal point of view because I’d been ill and hadn’t been able to get on court much so to get a match like that was really good.”

Following their final triumph over Italy, head coach Rusedski – the 1997 US Open finalist – said: “I’m very proud of our team.

“It feels great to be the first British team ever to win the Junior Davis Cup.”

Britain’s Junior FedCup team of Katy Dunne, Pippa Horn and Beth Askew finished 14th after losing to Romania 2-1 in their final match.