|
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 jaded-looking
Dimitrov.
Edmund crunched 46 winners to Dimitrov's 32 on a packed Rod
Laver Arena sprinkled with vocal fans of both players.
There were nerves as Edmund served for victory but he held firm
to become only the sixth British player to make a grand slam
semi-final in the professional era.
Not only that but 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.
Murray, recovering back at home, reacted to Edmund's achievement
on Twitter. "Wow!" the Scot said.
Coached by Swede Fredrik Rosengren, who once worked with Magnus
Norman and big-hitting Robin Soderling, Edmund produced nearly
three hours of raw aggression on his first appearance on the Rod
Laver showcourt.
His moment of victory was slightly delayed after a Hawkeye
challenge confirmed Dimitrov's backhand was out.
"It's an amazing feeling, very happy," 49th-ranked Edmund, who
will face sixth seed Marin Cilic in the last four, said on
court.
He could even overtake Murray, Britain's number one since 2006,
in the rankings if he gets 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.
Dimitrov was heavy favorite after his superb fourth-round defeat
of home favorite Nick Kyrgios but the portents were not good
when he dropped serve in the opening game.
"Today was just one of those days, I just couldn't find a way,"
Dimitrov, still awaiting his first major final, said.
BLISTERING FOREHAND
The 26-year-old squared the match when Edmund misfired in the
sixth game but the Briton thumped a blistering forehand winner
off a weak second serve to grab a 5-4 lead.
Dimitrov had two break points and saved a set point in the next
game but Edmund earned another chance with a volley and moved
ahead with a heavy first serve.
Edmund dipped a little in the second set and Dimitrov took full
advantage to level. But the silky Bulgarian never looked
comfortable against an ultra aggressive opponent and a
double-fault at 3-4 in the third set proved costly.
The players swapped breaks in the fourth but Dimitrov was
winning only half his first-serve points and the pressure
finally told as a backhand error gave Edmund a break at 4-4.
In a tense final game, Edmund double-faulted but an ace brought
up match point before Dimitrov sliced long.
"I am loving it right now, just the way I'm playing," Edmund
told reporters. "I'm 23 years old, my first grand slam
semi-final. First time I played on one of the biggest courts in
the world. To beat a quality of player like Grigor. They're
great feelings."
(Editing by Ed Osmond)
[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
