Edmund left to fly the flag for Britain at Roland Garros

Kyle cruises to victory as remaining Brits crash out

Kyle Edmund is the last British player standing for the third grand slam running.

The British number one made it through to the third round of the French Open with a four-set win over Hungarian Marton Fucsovics.

After Johanna Konta departed on Sunday, Heather Watson fell by the wayside yesterday morning before Cameron Norrie’s run came to an end at the hands of Lucas Pouille.

It leaves Edmund flying the flag on his own in the singles heading into a last-32 clash with Italy’s Fabio Fognini.

“It doesn’t change your way of thinking or anything,” said Edmund.

“If you’re the last or the first to go out, you’re just focusing on your job at hand and getting on with it.

“It’s just the way it goes. Unfortunately the nature of British tennis is there is not a whole lot.”

Fucsovics, ranked 45th, came into the contest on a six-match winning streak after claiming his first ATP Tour title in Geneva last week, but lost the first set in just 27 minutes without winning a game.

Edmund had his own slump in the second set when he called the trainer for a problem with the index finger on his right hand, losing the first five games.

The injury is not expected to derail his Roland Garros campaign, however. Edmund explained it was a paper cut.

Nevertheless, the 23-year-old responded well, quickly moving 3-0 ahead in the third, and went on to claim a 6-0 1-6 6-2 6-3 victory after two hours and 16 minutes.

Edmund has never played Fognini, the clay-court specialist who took Andy Murray to four sets at Wimbledon last year.

“Yes, it will be a very tough match, for sure,” added Edmund. “He plays very well on this surface. He’s had some really good results. He’s beaten Rafael Nadal.

“In terms of the match-up, I’ll speak to my coach about maybe what I need to try and do.

“I try to focus on getting my game out on court first, because that gives me a good chance.”

Norrie’s French Open adventure finally came to an end but not without giving local hero Pouille a fright.

The British number three earned a stay of execution on Wednesday evening when, despite battling stomach cramps, he pinched the third set in near darkness to ensure the second-round match would have to continue into Thursday.

French number one Pouille led 2-1 overnight and served for the fourth set at 6-5, only for Norrie to hit back and force a tie-break.

But Pouille held his nerve and the 15th seed eventually prevailed 6-2 6-4 5-7 7-6 (7/3).

Nevertheless Norrie, ranked 85 in the world, was proud of his performance.

“I managed to tough out a couple of holds and managed to break him in the end,” said the 22-year-old. “And it was nice to still be in the match last night and give myself another chance.

“I fought hard and played some of my best tennis today. And I’m just proud of how I fought and how I dealt with everything.

“I learned a lot from the match and he was a little bit more experienced than me.

“He obviously played a little bit more aggressively than me in the bigger moments and that got him through it.

“So I think if I played it again I would probably play a little more aggressive and hit a little more to his backhand. But it was all about learning.”