Unseeded Edmund subdues Dimitrov to reach semis

Melbourne (Reuters): Unseeded Briton Kyle Edmund bludgeoned his way to a shock 6-4 3-6 6-3 6-4 victory over third seed Grigor Dimitrov 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.

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!” said the Scot.

“It’s an amazing feeling, very happy,” 49th-ranked Edmund, who could face top seed Rafa Nadal in the next round if he beats Marin Cilic, said on court.

He could even overtake Murray, Britain’s number one since 2006, in the rankings if he goes all the way to the final.