Kyle Edmund is the champion of the New York Open after a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Andreas Seppi. The eighth-seeded Brit won for the fourth time in five career meetings against the veteran Italian and claimed his first title since winning in Antwerp two years ago.
Edmund takes home second career title with commanding performance
Despite the closeness of the opening set, the contrast was different from the outset. After each man held with relative ease to begin the match, Seppi was under constant pressure on his serve. He fought through a pair of deuce games to reach 3-3, but was doing nothing on the Edmund serve.
The first four games saw the Brit drop just three games on his serve and although the 98th-ranked Italian hung tough, he was still making no impressions on Edmund's delivery.
At 5-5 with Seppi playing near his best, the eighth seed recognized he needed to lift his game and he did, a pair of aces sealing a 6-5 lead and a sizzling forehand winner set up 0-30. A following winner from that wing made it 15-40 and a backhand winner sealed the set for the Brit.
Edmund was full of confidence and he posted a quickfire hold to open the second set. A break to 15 and a subsequent hold made it 3-0 in the blink of eye, the eighth seed rattling off five straight games, 20 of 25 points won in that stretch.
Seppi was hard-pressed to reverse the trend, but he showed his fight, holding in a six-deuce fourth game, saving four break points, claiming the hold with an excellent backhand down the line. Edmund responded with a hold that featured three aces and the Italian soon called for the trainer, a left leg issue hampering him.
Edmund broke once more, a forehand squash shot forcing a backhand slice error from the Italian for a 5-1 advantage and the championship was clinched in the next game, a brilliant backhand setting up championship point and a powerful forehand forced one final error from Seppi.