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Melbourne - Britain’s Kyle Edmund says his five-set win over South Africa’s Kevin Anderson in the first round of the Australian Open was the best of his career.
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Edmund, the world No 49, came from two sets to one down to beat the 11th seeded Anderson in a five-set thriller, 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Monday.
Edmund, who was born in Johannesburg, gained revenge on Anderson after losing their only previous encounter at last year’s French Open.
There the South African came from behind to win 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (7/4), 5-7, 6-1, 6-4.
Asked if it ranked as his best win to date, Edmund told BBC Radio 5 live: "I think so. In the circumstances, having lost to him in five sets last year, he made the final of the US Open on hard courts, and the way the match ebbed and flowed - it was really satisfying that I turned it around."
Edmund's best previous victory at a Grand Slam tournament, in terms of rankings, had been his win over 15th seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet at the 2016 US Open.
Anderson was a break up in the final set, leading 2-0, but Edmund was determined to not go down in five sets again.
In the second round, Edmund will face Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin, who knocked out Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-2, 6-1, 5-7, 7-6 (7/3).
