Murray trumps Edmund to clinch last-16 spot in Washington

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Washington, August 2: Andy Murray continued his comeback with another gruelling encounter, this time prevailing against British rival Kyle Edmund at the ATP Citi Open.

Murray returned from hip surgery in June but the former world number one opted to withdraw from Wimbledon as he felt it was "too soon" to compete in five-set matches.

However, Murray has claimed back-to-back wins to reach the last 16 in Washington after outlasting countryman and world number 18 Edmund 7-6 (7-4) 1-6 6-4 on Wednesday.

After going down to Nick Kyrgios at Queen's Club in June, Murray beat Stan Wawrinka in Eastbourne before falling to Edmund – the man who replaced him as Britain's number one.

But three-time grand slam champion Murray avenged that defeat following two hours, 31 minutes on court midweek to earn a showdown with Marius Copil as the US Open looms.

Playing his first hard-court tournament in 17 months, Murray – now ranked 832 in the world – endured a tense opening set against Edmund, who was serving for the set after breaking in the 11th game.

However, Murray hit back immediately to force a tie-break, which he sealed with a backhand that clipped the line.

Edmund – returning to the court for the first time since his Wimbledon loss to eventual champion Novak Djokovic last month – was not overawed as he broke twice to clinch a dominant second set and ensure the match went the distance.

There was no denying Murray however, as the veteran capitalised on Edmund's second serve having seen his opponent double-fault at 4-5 30-30 to advance in DC.