Kyle Edmund advances at French Open but fellow Briton Cameron Norrie falls at first hurdle

KYLE EDMUND needed just seven minutes to finish off Jeremy Chardy in the longest match of his career – as he ended his barren run without a win.

The British No.1 won two remaining games this morning in the fifth set of their four-hour 2-minute first-round match on Court No.1 to prevail 7-6 5-7 6-4 4-6 7-5.

The match was suspended at 9.23pm local time on Monday evening because of the fading light in Paris.

And despite the prospect of facing a partisan home crowd, Edmund dispatched of the unseeded Frenchman comfortably to win for the first time in 50 days.

Edmund, 24, had lost his previous five matches on clay but this triumph ensures he has avoided exiting in the first round of the French Open for the first time.

Next up, the world No.30 will take on Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas, whom he meets for the first time over a competitive net.

Edmund said: “I knew coming out it was very important and there was no room for error. Also after last night, just below four hours, there was fatigue. You’ve just got to push it through.

“I knew I could up the intensity. Best of five was a marathon, but this was a sprint today, and I just went for it. It’s tricky, especially emotionally: you’re in the match and then you’ve got to switch off.

“I got out of here 11pm last night, and arrived at 9am today.

“It’s all part of the game. I think that is the longest match I’ve played, 4:02. It was really good for me to come through that test.”

British No.2 Cameron Norrie suffered a horror show on Court No.7 as he was beaten 6-3 6-0 6-2 by world No.273 Elliot Benchetrit.

Norrie, watched by his parents who had flown over from New Zealand, ended up throwing his racket in the ground in anger as he crashed out in unexpected fashion.

The 23-year-old said: “I never found my level at all. I didn’t execute anything. I mean, short balls, volleys, wasn’t my day today. But I’m happy for him to get his first win, and I think that’s huge for him moving forward.

“The biggest disappointment for me today is that I didn’t really bring my level and I didn’t enjoy it out there.

“I was kind of in my own world and didn’t show my level. I didn’t execute.

“I’m honestly not too bothered about winning. If you win and lose tennis matches, it happens. At the end of the day, it’s a tennis match.

“But I’m just kind of disappointed I didn’t kind of show my best level and I didn’t lock it down.”

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