US Open 2016: Kyle Edmund upsets Richard Gasquet, Johanna Konta goes through

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Kyle EdmundImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Edmund is playing in the US Open main draw for the first time

US Open

Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Dates: 29 August-11 September

Coverage: Live radio commentary on Radio 5 live sports extra plus live text coverage on the big matches on the BBC Sport website and app.

Kyle Edmund upset 13th seed Richard Gasquet before fellow Briton Johanna Konta powered past American Bethanie Mattek-Sands on day one of the US Open.

Edmund, ranked 84th, beat former semi-finalist Gasquet 6-2 6-2 6-3 to claim the best win of his career on a hot afternoon at Flushing Meadows.

The Briton, 21, will face American wildcard Ernesto Escobedo in round two.

British number one Konta, seeded 13th, was in superb form as she beat Mattek-Sands 6-3 6-3 in the evening session.

The 25-year-old goes on to face Bulgaria's Tsvetana Pironkova in round two.

Andy Murray is among six Britons in singles action on day two, with the Scot taking on Czech Lukas Rosol at around 02:00 on Wednesday.

I played better than I expected - Edmund

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Gasquet looked out of sorts and was overpowered by Edmund

Edmund bullied former semi-finalist Gasquet with his huge forehand on his way to a two-set lead, as the Frenchman struggled in 32C heat on court five.

There was a glimmer of hope for Gasquet when he broke serve first in the third set but a brilliant running pass sparked a five-game run that took Edmund over the finish line.

"It's definitely one of my best wins in my career," Edmund said, who added that working with Andy Murray in the Davis Cup set-up had helped improve his overall game.

"I had a good summer. I beat some good players, I beat [Gilles] Simon and then had a good experience against Andy [at Queen's].

"Those matches against top players give you more experience, more confidence with your game, that you are able to take it to them."

New arena inspires Konta

Image source, Reuters
Image caption,

Konta was ranked 97th at last year's US Open - she is now ranked 14th

Konta reached the fourth round as a qualifier ranked 97th last year, but looked every inch a player closing in on the top 10 as she dismissed Mattek-Sands.

The Briton controlled the contest with her backhand and was rarely troubled on serve as she won in 81 minutes on the new Grandstand court.

"It's definitely never easy coming out for a first round of a Slam, especially against Bethanie coming off an Olympic [doubles] gold medal," said Konta.

"I knew she would be inspired and feed off the atmosphere. Thank you to everyone who stayed and supported us.

"It's pretty exciting to play in here. It's a shame we weren't the first, but it's pretty special, the whole venue."

Analysis

Leon Smith, GB Davis Cup captain, on 5 live sports extra: "The one thing Kyle's improved hugely, even since the Olympics, is how he's managed his forehand. Often he's tried to hit it harder and harder, but today he hit it with different heights, spins and then injected pace.

"When he's not playing well he tends to rush, get uptight and try to finish the points too quickly, but today he played with a lot of maturity.

"He played some great volleys and hit one hell of a passing shot to break back in the third set. It's looking good for him."

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