KYLE EDMUND has been forced to withdraw from the French Open due to a stomach injury.

The 20-year-old from Yorkshire, who was due to face Nick Kyrgios of Australia in the second round on Thursday after being cheered beyond French qualifier Stephane Robert by Andy Murray on Monday night, informed the tournament organisers that he would be unable to take part yesterday, and his name was promptly taken off the day's schedule.

His withdrawal means that Murray is sure to face Kyrgios, last year's Wimbledon quarter finalist, in the third round, should he progress beyond the challenge of Portugal's Joao Sousa on Philippe Chatrier tomorrow. The two men have met twice before, most recently at the Australian Open in January, with the Scot winning both in straight sets.

"Kyle felt something after his qualifying matches," said Leon Smith, the Great Britain Davis Cup captain. "And since the match against Robert it has got worse. He has muscle damage in his stomach. The advice we had was that if he went on court for even a set, it could damage it further and put him out for six, seven, eight weeks. He played four fantastic matches here, he will quite possibly be in the top 100 when the next rankings come out. Why risk ruining your summer?"