Australian Open: Kyle Edmund & Liam Broady near main draw

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Liam BroadyImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Broady has never reached the main draw of a Grand Slam

Britain's Kyle Edmund and Liam Broady both moved to within one victory of qualifying for the Australian Open on their debuts with wins on Thursday.

Edmund, 20, beat American Austin Krajicek 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-2, before Broady battled past US teenager Jared Donaldson 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (5-7) 6-4.

Both men will play their third-round qualifying matches on Saturday.

In the women's singles, Johanna Konta and Naomi Broady - Liam's sister - lost in round one.

It was late afternoon by the time Liam Broady and Edmund got under way on adjacent courts at a cool, blustery Melbourne Park.

Court 15 saw the feistier contest as Broady took on talented 18-year-old Donaldson, and it took a little over three hours for the 21-year old from Stockport to prevail.

Match stats

Broady

Donaldson

193

World ranking

252

2

Aces

9

3

Double faults

1

76

First serve %

57

69

First serve pts won %

73

2/8

Break points won

1/12

Broady failed to serve out the opening set at 5-4 but controlled the tie-break and earned a first match point late in the second, only for the impressive Donaldson to hold his nerve and level at one set all.

It was the Briton who took the initiative with an early break in the third and it would prove decisive, despite his sister having to provide Broady with a jacket to keep warm during a lengthy medical timeout for Donaldson.

Two aces completed the job and took Broady through to a meeting with American veteran Michael Russell for a place in the main draw.

"The last couple of days I've been playing great and I really felt coming into this tournament that I did have the potential to cause a couple of upsets," Broady told BBC Sport.

"To qualify would mean the world. I'm not even going to think about it as qualifying for my first Slam - I'm just want to beat my next opponent."

Edmund, ranked one place higher than Broady at 192 in the world, will take on Australia's Dane Propoggia in his decider after a stirring comeback on Court 14.

The Yorkshireman struggled to hurt Krajicek in the early stages and was in real danger after dropping the opening set in a tie-break, but Edmund levelled in a similarly tight second set and controlled the third.

Match stats

Edmund

Krajicek

192

World ranking

154

7

Aces

8

3

Double faults

1

56

First serve %

68

76

First serve pts won %

72

3/6

Break points won

2/8

"Twice now I've started nervously but all this court time adds up going into the next match," Edmund told BBC Sport.

"I've put myself in the position where I've got that match to get into the main draw.

"All I can focus on is my processes and what makes me work as a player, and not the outcome."

Naomi Broady earlier lost to 6-4 6-3 to Poland's Urszula Radwanska, while Konta, the British number two, went down 6-4 7-5 to American Anna Tatishvili.

The draw for the first-round proper will take place at 22:30 GMT on Thursday, with Edmund and Broady hoping to join Andy Murray and James Ward in the men's singles, and Heather Watson the lone Briton in the women's singles.

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