Dimitrov into Brisbane semi-finals
Originally published on 05/01/18 00:00
An entertaining contest ended in unfortunate circumstances due to an injury suffered by the British No.2 at 4-4 in a deciding set. Edmund took a nasty tumble and rolled his right ankle – which effectively killed the match as a spectacle.
It was a scary moment for Edmund, especially with the Australian Open just nine days away, and he will have his injury assessed in the coming days.
Dimitrov, who raced to his opponent’s aid after he fell, is now on a seven-match wining run and he will encounter Nick Kyrgios in the last four on Saturday.
The Australian No.1 made it through to the weekend by overcoming the unpredictable Alexandr Dolgopolov 1-6 6-3 6-4. Kyrgios was in full flow in the closing stages and is happy with his current level of play.
“I'm feeling pretty good,” said the 22-year-old, who has lost his two previous meetings with his next opponent.
“I'm hitting the ball well and I'm serving really well. So the first two matches of the year, I've got through two tough three-setters. The only positive I can say about losing that first set is I'm putting myself in some pressure situation and getting some more court time out there, which is good.”
In the other half of the draw, Alex De Minaur’s remarkable week continues. The 18-year-old Australian was exceptional as he crushed Michael Mmoh 6-4 6-0 in 74 minutes to reach his first ATP semi-final in style.
"The best way to describe this is at the moment is I'm in this really good dream and I really don't want to wake up – just disbelief, really," said the overjoyed teenager post-match.
His reward is a last four showdown with Ryan Harrison. The American progressed after Denis Istomin retired while trailing 7-6(6) 4-2.