Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Sport
Sports Staff

Kyle Edmund beats Gael Monfils in European Open final for maiden ATP title

Kyle Edmund has beaten Gael Monfils 3-6 7-6 (2) 7-6 (4) at the European Open in Antwerp to secure his first ATP Tour title.

The 23-year-old broke into tears after completing the three-set victory in his second ATP Tour final.

"I've not been able to string together my matches to win tournaments," he said. "There's always been something to let me down. It's been one of my goals to be more consistent.

"Today I had to really dig deep and it's great I've been able to have this experience and come through. It gives you so much belief and confidence for the next time it happens."

Monfils, 32, the world number 38, broke in Edmund's first service game and took the opening set in 31 minutes.

Edmund immediately fought back in the second set as he went 3-1 up after breaking the Monfils serve and survived a break point of his own to widen the gap.

However, his opponent broke back in the seventh game and levelled things up at 4-4 after battling to save his serve.

Edmund got things back on track by winning his serve but he could not prevent it going to a tie-break.

However, he came through that 7-2 to take the match into a decider.

Both players saved the two break points they faced during the third set, meaning the title would be decided by a second tie-break.

This one was much tighter, but a mini-break for 5-3 gave Edmund the crucial advantage and he took his first match point to win 3-6 7-6 7-6.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.