Kyle Edmund let a commanding lead slip and appeared to suffer an injury in a doubly painful five-set loss to Fernando Verdasco in the second round of Wimbledon.
The British number one looked to be on his way to the third round for the second straight year when he led the veteran Spaniard by two sets and 3-0 but he let his opponent back in and then appeared to hurt himself in a slip on the baseline.
Edmund has had a difficult season, with a left knee problem dogging him since last October, but he received treatment to his right knee here as well as his back at consecutive changes of ends, speaking to both the doctor and the trainer.
Edmund's movement was compromised and his resistance ran out as Verdasco wrapped up a 4-6 4-6 7-6 (3) 6-3 6-4 victory to book a third-round date with Italian Thomas Fabbiano.
It is the second time Edmund has lost from a winning position against Verdasco in two months having also slumped to defeat from a set and 4-1 up on clay in Rome.
Edmund had his best week of the season last week in Eastbourne, reaching the semi-finals, and looked to have hit form at the perfect time as he edged the battle of the big forehands over the first two sets.
Comeback king 👑@FerVerdasco recovers from a two-set deficit to beat Kyle Edmund 4-6, 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-3, 6-4 on Centre Court#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/S6PBc8a7PB — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 3, 2019
Edmund defeated another Spaniard in Jaume Munar in round one but Verdasco, ranked only seven places lower than the Yorkshireman at 37, was a step up in class and experience.
At 35 and playing in his 65th consecutive grand-slam tournament, he remains a very dangerous customer and he had beaten Edmund in both their previous meetings.
But Verdasco also has a reputation for fragility at big moments and twice he cracked serving at 4-5 in the first two sets.
The second was bizarre as, having saved a first set point with an ace, Verdasco offered up a second with a double fault and, presented with a simple volley to get the game back to deuce, instead ducked under the ball to let it drop wide only to see it land on the line.
When another double fault handed Edmund a break at the start of the third set, the 24-year-old looked to be almost over the line, but he has been short of big wins recently and that lack of confidence crept in at the crucial moment.
He gave Verdasco the break back with a series of errors and then suffered the fateful slip in the eighth game. Initially there did not appear to be too much damage but he was outplayed in the tie-break.
When he called the trainer, though, it became clear Edmund was feeling the effects and his movement became hampered.
He recovered an early break in the fourth set only to drop serve again in the eighth game, and Verdasco hung onto an early advantage in the decider to clinch victory.
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