US Open 2016: Novak Djokovic beats Kyle Edmund in fourth round
- From the section Tennis
| US Open |
|---|
| Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Dates: 29 August-11 September |
| Coverage: Live commentary on Radio 5 live sports extra plus live text on the big matches on the BBC Sport website and app. |
Kyle Edmund's run at the US Open came to an end as world number one Novak Djokovic showed he is back to his best with a 6-2 6-1 6-4 fourth-round win.
World number 84 Edmund, 21, defeated two seeds to reach the last 16 of a Grand Slam for the first time.
But the Briton was outclassed from the start by defending champion Djokovic.
Edmund's defeat means Andy Murray is the last Briton left in the singles, while Djokovic goes on to face France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the last eight.
Djokovic showed no signs of being rusty despite only completing six games in the past two rounds because of injuries to Jiri Vesely and Mikhail Youzhny.
The 29-year-old Serb needed treatment during the third set as the trouble he had with his upper arm in the first round flared up again.
But he came through unscathed to ensure his quest for a 13th Grand Slam title and third this year remains on track.
"It feels great to play a full match after a weird couple of days when I didn't have too much tennis," said Djokovic.
"I came out of the blocks with high intensity. It's not easy to do that when you have to wait all day to play.
"I made Kyle work for each point and kept him moving around the court."
Edmund's run to the fourth round included victories over 13th seed Richard Gasquet and 20th seed John Isner.
"It's been a great tournament for me," said Edmund. "There are loads of positives to take from the way I've been playing. I've got a lot of learning to do. That's a really good thing.
"To play the world number one on the biggest tennis court in the world... it doesn't get much better than that."
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Djokovic asserts his authority
With the start delayed on Arthur Ashe Stadium by Lucas Pouille's stunning win over Rafael Nadal, the players had to wait until 22:00 local time before taking to the court.
Djokovic wasted little time in taking control, chasing down Edmund's best shots and responding with winners of his own.
He wrapped up the first two sets in little over an hour, but Edmund produced some crunching forehands to break Djokovic's serve in the third game of the third set, prompting the top seed to seek a medical timeout.
Edmund levelled the set with a hold of serve to love and he broke Djokovic again to win his third game in a row.
But the Serb broke back immediately and a break to love in the 10th game sealed victory shortly afterwards after an hour and 55 minutes on court.
Analysis
BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller:
"Djokovic started the match as if he was making up for lost time. The champion played a high-quality match, moving Edmund around the court.
"The 21-year-old Edmund frequently let rip with his massive forehand and frequently hit the target, but, with Djokovic on the other side of the net, the ball too often came back.
"Edmund was soundly beaten on the night, but his wins over Richard Gasquet and John Isner have contributed to a stellar week. At the start of this year, he had won only two tour level matches in his entire career."
