British No 2 wins 6-4 3-6 6-3 6-4 and will now play Marin Cilic for a place in the final
Thursday 24 May 2018 14:22, UK
Kyle Edmund continued his remarkable run at the Australian Open by beating Grigor Dimitrov to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final.
With Andy Murray sidelined, it was beyond all wild hopes at the start of the tournament that Britain would have a man through to the last four but Edmund has come of age at Melbourne Park and this was his finest moment yet.
Making his debut on Rod Laver Arena, the 23-year-old did not allow the occasion to get to him and took advantage of an opponent not at the top of his game to win 6-4 3-6 6-3 6-4 in two hours and 49 minutes.
"It's an amazing feeling. I'm very happy," said an overwhelmed Edmund, who became the first British man other than Murray to make the last four here since John Lloyd in 1977.
"It was a hard match and I'm really trying to enjoy the moment. It was my first match on Rod Laver Arena and it's very special."
The world No 49, playing in his first Grand Slam quarter-final, showed no nerves as he blazed away with his fearsome forehand to subdue a nervy Dimitrov.
The Bulgarian struggled to reproduce the form that saw him beat home favourite Nick Kyrgios in the previous round, with his serve especially vulnerable.
Edmund broke decisively at 4-4 in the opening set with a thunderbolt forehand off a weak second serve.
Dimitrov took the second set but never looked completely comfortable against the ultra-aggressive Edmund and a double-fault at 3-4 in the third set proved costly.
The players swapped breaks in the fourth set but Edmund broke again for a 5-4 lead to serve for the match.
A tense final game saw Edmund double-fault but an ace brought up match point and then Dimitrov sliced a backhand long which was confirmed by Hawk-Eye after an agonising wait.
I know what it feels like to be Andy Murray for the last eight years!
With former world No 1 Murray absent through injury, the British media spotlight has been firmly focused on Edmund in recent days.
He said of the increased attention: "I know what it feels like to be Andy Murray for the last eight years!
"It comes with the territory. The better you do, the more attention you get.
"It's probably the first time I've done well on my own, so there's more attention, but you try to take it in your stride and try to embrace it as much as possible. It's a good problem to have. The more I keep winning, the better."
