British No 2 Aljaz Bedene stuns Gilles Simon for ‘best-ever’ win

Best win: Aljaz Bedene came from a set down to beat the world No 11
(Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
26 August 2015

British No 2 Aljaz Bedene hailed his best-ever win after beating world No11 Gilles Simon in the second round of the Winston-Salem Open in North Carolina.

The 26-year-old wildcard saved two match points as he defeated the top seed 6-7, 7-6, 7-6 and will face qualifier Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the last 16.

“I haven’t beaten someone in the top 10 yet, so this is my best win,” said the Slovenia-born Bedene , who was granted British citizenship in March.

“It was tough. Gilles is known as one of the toughest guys on the tour. Coming back after losing the first set, and having served for it, is never easy.

“I’m satisfied with how I’m playing and I can’t wait for my next match. He was returning well and I was returning well, so we didn’t have much of an advantage with the serve. I don’t think I’ve ever played three tie-breaks in a row. That’s good for me.”

It was Bedene’s third victory against a top-20 ranked opponent in 2015, having upset Spaniards Feliciano Lopez and Roberto Bautista Agut on his way to the Chennai final in January.

There was disappointment for another Briton, however, as Liam Broady was beaten in the first round of qualifying for the US Open, which begins next week. Broady lost 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 against Spaniard Inigo Cervantes.

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