Britain Kyle Edmund defeats Dimitrov to enter in the Semis: Australian Open 2018
Britain Kyle Edmund defeats Dimitrov to enter in the Semis: Australian Open 2018
Share:

Unseeded Briton Kyle Edmund bludgeoned his way to a shock 6-4 3-6 6-3 6-4 victory over third seed Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria to claim his place in the Australian Open semi-finals on Tuesday. The South Africa-born 23-year-old, playing in his first grand slam quarter-final, showed no nerves as he blazed away with his fearsome forehand to subdue a nervy Dimitrov. Edmund crunched 46 winners to Dimitrov's 32 on a packed Rod Laver Arena sprinkled with vocal fans of both players.

There were some nerves as Edmund served for victory but he held firm to become only the sixth British player to reach the semi-finals of a grand slam in the professional era. He began the tournament as the only British man in the draw after five-times Australian Open runner-up Andy Murray withdrew to have surgery on his injured hip.

Coached by Swede Fredrik Rosengren, who once worked with big-hitting Robin Soderling, Edmund produced nearly three hours of raw aggression on his first appearance on Rod Laver. His moment of victory arrived after a Hawkeye challenge confirmed Dimitrov's backhand had drifted long.

He could even overtake Murray, Britain's number one since 2006, in the rankings if he goes all the way to the final. "I know what it feels like to be Andy Murray for the last eight years or however long," Edmund said of the spotlight now on him after his incredible run in Melbourne.

Join NewsTrack Whatsapp group
Related News