British number one Kyle Edmund fought back to down Gael Monfils in a final-set tie-break and claim his maiden ATP Tour title at the European Open in Antwerp on Sunday. The 3-6, 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/4) victory caps a breakthrough season for the 23-year-old and keeps alive his slim hopes of qualifying for the ATP World Tour Finals in London next month.
Edmund is the first British man other than Andy Murray to win a singles title since Greg Rusedski's success in Newport in July 2005. "I'm obviously very happy. A lot of hard work goes into this. So it's just emotional," the world number 15 said. "You always remember this one. Gael made me work for it today, that's for sure, so credit to him. I'm just so happy."
Top seed Edmund, who reached the Australian Open semi-finals earlier this year, won successive tie-breaks after losing the opening set in just 31 minutes and broke down in tears after clinching victory on his first match point. It was only his second Tour final after a straight-sets defeat by Pablo Andujar in Morocco in April.
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