Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
AUSTRALIAN OPEN SEMI-FINALS GOAL EDMUND
Brit sensation Kyle is aiming for a place in the final of the Australian Open this morning.. and his coach says all the pressure is on his rival
KYLE EDMUND will have a free hit in his first Grand Slam semi-final because all the pressure will be on Marin Cilic, his coach claims.
The 2014 US Open champion is the strong favourite against the Yorkshireman, who started the Australian Open ranked world No.49.
But Edmund has reached the last four by nervelessly seeing off world No.11 Kevin Anderson and No.3 Grigor Dimitrov.
And the Croatian world No.6 broke down in tears of pain and frustration while losing the Wimbledon final last year. Edmund’s coach Mark Hilton said: “Kyle is going to have to play his best tennis – there is no getting away from that.
And I’d say the same about Cilic. He is going to have to play fantastic tennis to beat Kyle. “Kyle can go into the match with a lot of confidence, with the feeling that a lot of the pressure is on Cilic. He is the one who has won Grand Slams before and made the final of Wimbledon last year. “But the way Kyle is playing, there is no reason he can’t go out there and win.” Edmund – already into the world’s top 25 – will become British No.1 with a win today.
And he seeks to become the first British player to win the title since Fred Perry in 1934.
“There’s no reason why I can’t go out there and enjoy the occasion again,” he said. “A semi of a Grand Slam, it’s a great feeling. “I’ll just try to take it in my stride as best as I can. The reaction has been amazing. But I’m really just trying to block that out because I’m still playing in the tournament. I have a really good chance, I’m playing well, it’s going to be a great experience.”
His parents Steven and Denise are still in the UK and could dash Down Under if he wins today.
“We’ll see how this match goes, but at the minute they’re just at home,” he added.
The 23-year-old certainly looked at home beating Dimitrov in his first appearance in the Rod Laver Arena.
“It was unbelievable how he handled yesterday,” his other coach Fredrik Rosengren said. “He was so relaxed. I told him go on there, be the man, no excuses. I am the happiest guy because I am thinking about the future, not only this match.”
The semi-final promises to be turbo-charged. Edmund leads the tournament for forehand winners, on 127, with Cilic in second place, on 115, while both have rapid serves.
Edmund is not the youngest semi-finalist, as 21-year-old Hyeon Chung will face Roger Federer in the second semi tomorrow.
“It is great to see new names and new stars on the scene,” said defending champion Federer.
“The game needs it. I think the way both of them have made it to the semis is highly impressive.”