Kyle Edmund nears French Open main draw after thrashing Victor Hanescu

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/may/21/kyle-edmund-french-open-main-draw-victor-hanescu

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Britain’s Kyle Edmund is one win away from a place in the French Open main draw after an impressive 6-1, 6-2 victory over Romania’s Victor Hanescu.

Edmund came through the three qualifying rounds at the Australian Open in January and the 20-year-old is on course to repeat the feat after this dominant display against Hanescu, 13 years his senior.

The 6ft 6in Romanian reached the quarter-finals at Roland Garros in 2005 but injuries have hampered him since and he was unable to keep up with Edmund’s energy and weight of shot.

“It was really good,” Edmund said after the match. “He’s been around for a while and made the quarter-finals here, so he obviously can play well here and on clay.

“He’s tall and has a good serve, so I was very wary of those things and had to give him full respect. I knew that if I put my game on court I’d have a good chance. I played really well and I’m happy with my form going into Friday.”

Edmund will now play either Adrián Menéndez-Maceiras or Jordi Samper-Montaña for a spot in the main draw, which starts on Sunday.

“It would be great if I qualify,” Edmund said. “I want to be playing in the main draw of slams, but the way I’m going to get there is by my game improving. Every day I’m just trying to get better. It’s not just about this tournament, it’s about where your game’s at in six months or a year.”

The Briton asserted his authority early on against Hanescu with a number of stinging forehands and the Romanian was unable to respond, losing his serve in the fourth and sixth games before surrendering the set.

Edmund continued to find winners from the back of the court but it was a missed volley from Hanescu that gave him an early break in the second set and he lost only one more game thereafter to seal a classy victory in one hour and seven minutes.

Johanna Konta is also through to the third round after she beat Russia’s Elizaveta Kulichkova 7-6, 6-3.

The British No2 lost at the final hurdle in qualifying last year but a gutsy win against Kulichkova, ranked 34 places higher, maintains her hopes of joining Heather Watson in the main draw.

“I’m really happy to get through that one,” Konta said. “I stayed tough out there, she’s really tough to play, she doesn’t give you much rhythm and she takes time away from you. I had to really scramble today and take my chances where I could and that’s why I was so pleased at the end.”

Konta will face France’s Clothilde De Bernardi in round three.