It was one of the highly anticipated matches of the Australian Open and it certainly did not disappoint. Grigor Dimitrov ended Australia’s hopes of a home champion with a thrilling 7-6(3), 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(4) win over Nick Kyrgios at Melbourne Park on Sunday. Dimitrov and Kyrgios put their world-class talents on display in a primetime showdown and fans were treated with a pulsating clash between two of the game's brightest stars. The 2017 Australian Open semi-finalist extended his record over home players at Grand Slams to 6-2 with the win, which puts the Bulgarian to within three matches of a first Grand Slam title. The 26-year-old won 80 per cent of points behind his first serve and overcame 36 aces from...
Kyle Edmund reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final at the Australian Open after securing a gritty 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 victory over Andreas Seppi on Sunday. Edmund becomes the first British man other than Andy Murray to reach the last eight at a Grand Slam since Tim Henman at the 2004 US Open. The World No. 49 won 80 per cent of points behind his first serve and hit 63 winners in the two-hour, 57-minute contest. ATPWorldTour.com spoke exclusively to Edmund about his off-season and hopes for 2018 in the first week of the season in Brisbane. Edmund will meet Grigor Dimitrov for a place in the semi-finals. "He got off to a good start," said Edmund. "Tennis, sometimes you...
Rafael Nadal survived a three-hour, 51-minute battle to end the challenge of Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-3 and reach his 10th Australian Open quarter-final on Sunday. After winning the first set, Nadal established control on three occasions in the second, but was pegged back each time as Schwartzman rallied to level the match in the tie-break. After dropping his first set of the tournament in that tie-break, the World No. 1 re-established control with an improved level on serve to clinch his spot in the last eight of a Grand Slam for the 33rd time. Nadal, who is now assured of staying at World No. 1 post-tournament, will meet Marin Cilic who navigated his way past Pablo Carreno...
Marin Cilic won his 100th Grand Slam match to beat Pablo Carreno Busta 6-7(2), 6-3, 7-6(0), 7-6(3) and reach the Australian Open quarter-finals on Sunday. The 2010 semi-finalist recovered from a set down, hitting 73 winners, to defeat Carreno Busta and become just the second Croatian man to reach multiple Australian Open quarter-finals (Goran Ivanisevic). The 29-year-old, who reached the final at Wimbledon last year (l. Federer), also equalled Ivanisevic’s record for most Grand Slam quarter-final appearances by a Croatian man (11). Cilic will meet Rafael Nadal for a place in the semi-finals, after the World No. 1 defeated Diego Schwartzman later in the day. The Spaniard leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 5-1, having most recently squared off in...
Tomas Berdych advanced to the fourth round of the Australian Open for the 10th time with an impressive 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 win over No. 12 seed Juan Martin del Potro on Saturday. The two-time semi-finalist hit 20 aces in the two-hour, 16-minute encounter and broke the Argentine on seven occasions to take sole ownership of the record for the most Open Era fourth round appearances at the Australian Open by a Czech man. Berdych will play Fabio Fognini for a place in the quarter-finals after the Italian ended the run of Julien Benneteau 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 in three hours. After trading breaks early in the first set, Berdych made the crucial breakthrough in the sixth game to lead...
