(Reuters) – Briton Kyle Edmund swept past Italy’s Andreas Seppi with a strong second set to win the New York Open and a second ATP Tour career title on Long Island on Sunday.
After breaking a 5-5 first-set deadlock, Edmund lost only one game in the second for a 7-5 6-1 victory at Nassau Coliseum.
The title was the first for the 25-year-old since Antwerp in 2018 and he defeated Seppi for the second time in the space of a month, having won in straight sets in Auckland in January.
“There’s a lot of hard work throughout the year, a lot of ups and downs that you don’t see behind the scenes. To win this title means a lot to me,” Edmund told ATPTour.com.
He backed up clinching the final two games of the first set by taking the first three of the second on his way to victory.
Both players traded service holds throughout most of the opening set. But with Seppi serving at 5-6, Edmund raised his level and added even more velocity to his groundstrokes.
Using his forehand to push Seppi around the baseline, he earned a pair of set points and let out a roar after converting his first chance with a down-the-line backhand winner.
The baseline rallies took their toll on Seppi in the second set and Edmund capitalized, grabbing 12 of the first 15 points for a 3-0 lead.
With Seppi serving at 1-4, the Italian pushed a slice backhand long and Edmund went on to close out the match.
“He played a good match today and he deserved to win,” Seppi said. “I played some good matches this week. I’ll take the positives from here and move forward.”
(Reporting by Gene Cherry in Salvo, North Carolina; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
