- Kyle Edmund held his nerve in a tight match to reach the last eight in Brisbane
- The 22-year-old is preparing for this month’s Australian Open in Melbourne
- He will face either John Millman or ATP Finals winner Grigor Dimitrov next
Kyle Edmund continued his preparations for this month’s Australian Open with a tight win against Hyeon Chung at the Brisbane International on Thursday.
Edmund beat Chung 7-6 (7/3) 5-7 6-4 in two hours and 38 minutes to reach the quarter-finals of the tournament having impressed in the last round against Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov.
The British No 2 took the first set against Chung in a tie-break and withstood a second-set wobble to eventually see off the South Korean.
Kyle Edmund was made to dig deep in Brisbane to overcome South Korean Hyeon Chung
The 22-year-old enjoyed success with his first serve as he reached the quarter-final stage
Edmund will face either top seed, and defending champion, Grigor Dimitrov or Australian wildcard John Millman in the last eight.
Eight ranking places separate Edmund and Chung and the Korean showed quality as he saved six of the eight break points worked by the Briton.
It was the first serve where the 22-year-old had real joy winning 82 per cent of the points and despite a scare in the second set, Edmund will believe he can go the distance in Brisbane.
Edmund reached the quarter-finals in 2017 but was knocked out by Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka.
World No 58 Chung rallied back to win the second set in what proved a tight match
Edmund will now face ATP Finals winner Grigor Dimitrov or Australian wildcard John Millman
Ranked 50th in the world, Edmund is looking to right the wrongs of last year’s Australian Open when he suffered a straight sets second round defeat to Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta.
Speaking after that disappointing loss a year ago, Edmund said: ‘It’s just inconsistency. I need to learn from it and move on. There’s not much more to say about it.’
With British compatriot Andy Murray withdrawing from the first Grand Slam of the year due to his recurring hip injury on Thursday, expectation is growing that Edmund can carry his Brisbane form into the Melbourne showcase.
The Australian Open begins on January 15.