MELBOURNE, Australia -- On perhaps the biggest stage of his career, Britain's Kyle Edmund upset third-seeded Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Tuesday to reach the semifinals of the Australian Open.
The 23-year-old, who until Melbourne had never been beyond the fourth round of any of the four Grand Slams, hit 13 aces, blasted 46 winners, won 20 of 25 points at the net and held his nerve to not only cause one of the biggest upsets of the event but clinch the biggest victory of his career.
Coming off an ATP Tour Finals championship in November, Dimitrov played well in Australia, including an impressive win against Australia's biggest hope, Nick Kyrgios, in the previous round. Dimitrov was a heavy favorite against Edmund, but from the outset, Edmund matched him shot-for-shot.
Next up for Edmund is the winner between Rafael Nadal and Marin Cilic, who were scheduled to play Tuesday night on Rod Laver Arena.
With Dimitrov's serve misfiring, Edmund broke in the opening game of the match, and though he handed the break back, he broke again later in the set with a thunderous forehand and served out to move ahead.
The second set saw Edmund lose his focus at the start as Dimitrov raced ahead 3-0 and the Bulgarian leveled the match.
Edmund's forehand was a huge weapon, pulling Dimitrov out of court on a number of occasions, while his serve also kept the Bulgarian on the defensive.
In the third set, Dimitrov double-faulted on break point at 4-4; Edmund then held his nerve to move ahead again. Edmund broke for 3-2 in the fourth, dropped serve in the next game, but broke again for 5-4. Though he double-faulted to go down 15-30, a big serve and a 13th ace gave him match point, which he won when Dimitrov overcooked a backhand long. He challenged the call, but to no avail.
Edmund's coach, Freddie Rosengren, had his hands on his head as the players waited for Hawkeye to validate the call, and when it showed the ball had landed an inch long, the celebrations began.
Edmund, who was part of Britain's 2015 Davis Cup-winning team, isn't a complete stranger to the big stage, but at the end of the match, he was shaking his head by the side of the court, trying to come to terms with the magnitude of his win. He is only the sixth British man to reach a Grand Slam semifinal. His victory means he is set to rise from his current ranking of No. 49 to around 26, at least.
"It's an amazing feeling," said the unseeded Edmund, who beat No. 11 seed Kevin Anderson in the opening round. "I'm very happy. These things, you're so engaged in the match that you don't really take it in [so afterward], I just really tried to enjoy the moment.
Andy Murray, following the match from back home in the UK, immediately expressed his delight on Twitter, saying "Wow" @kyle8edmund," while former British No. 1 Tim Henman was courtside to see the victory. As the lone Briton standing after Murray's hip surgery a week before Melbourne, Edmund has stood up well for a nation that now has its hopes on Edmund's shoulders.
"I know what it feels like to be Andy Murray for the last eight years, or whatever it is," Edmund said. "It's probably the first time I've done well on my own, so there's more attention there. You take it in your stride and embrace it as much as possible. It's a good problem to have."