- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
It’s David versus Goliath when the unseeded Kyle Edmund makes his grand slam quarter-final debut against world No.3 Grigor Dimitrov in a bid to make the last four at the Australian Open. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from around 2.30pm (AEDT).
Fresh off a breakout 2017 which kicked off with a maiden semi-final berth at Melbourne Park and culminated with victory at the ATP World Tour Finals, Dimitrov has come a long way from the youngster known more for who he was dating off the court than what he was doing on it.
Once known as “Baby Fed” due to the similarities between his own game and that of Roger Federer, the Bulgarian has emerged as the man most likely to take over from the oligopoly that has seen Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Federer himself dominate men’s tennis in the past decade.
A pair of unconvincing wins over qualifier Mackenzie McDonald and 30th seed Andrey Rublev saw him through to the fourth round, where some brilliant serving and sensational defence gave him the edge over the enigmatic Nick Kyrgios in a timely return to form for the 26-year-old.
In a tournament marked by upsets aplenty, however, he can ill-afford to rest at ease and cruise through to a second straight semi-final berth at the Australian Open. His opponent, world No.49 Kyle Edmund, is playing the tournament of his life.
The South African-born Briton has reached the last eight at a Grand Slam for the first time in his career after a five-set win over 11th seed Kevin Anderson in the first round opened the draw for him.
A trio of victories followed over fellow unseeded hopefuls Denis Istomin, Nikoloz Basilashvili and Andreas Seppi, seeing him through to a showdown with the third-ranked Dimitrov.
With Andy Murray’s hip injury ruling him out of the tournament, Edmund has had to fly the flag as the top-ranked British male, and his success has meant that for the ninth year in a row, the English have someone still in contention in the second week.
Prediction
Despite Edmund’s sparkling form, this is still Dimitrov’s game to lose. The Brit has hardly put a foot wrong this tournament, but with the Bulgarian returning to his very best against Kyrgios, the gap in class could prove too much.
Dimitrov to win in three tight sets.
This will be the second time this year Dimitrov and Edmund have faced each other from across the net. The pair locked horns in the quarter-finals of the Brisbane International, with Dimitrov emerging triumphant in three sets.
Can the world No.3 make it two wins from two over Edmund in 2018? Or has the Brit learnt enough from his defeat to cause another Australian Open boilover?
Tune into The Roar‘s live coverage of this first men’s quarter-final from around 2.30pm (AEDT) and be sure to weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section below.
Whether it’s aces or races, try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp for great odds and a great punting experience. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.