Triumphant Edmund soaking up Open success
Kyle Edmund made sure he soaked up the enormity of his achievements after stunning third seed Grigor Dimitrov to reach his first grand slam semi-final.
The 23-year-old continued his remarkable exploits at the Australian Open by defeating Dimitrov 6-4 3-6 6-3 6-4 to become just the sixth British man in the Open era to reach the last four in singles at a slam.
It was the first time Edmund has beaten a top-10 player, and he saved the landmark for the biggest stage of all.
He said: “I am loving it right now, just the way I’m playing. I’m 23 years old, my first grand slam semi-final. First time I played on one of the biggest courts in the world. To beat a quality of player like Grigor.
“They’re great feelings. I’m just trying to enjoy it as much as possible. I knew I was in a good place. There’s no reason why my tennis wasn’t good enough to win. It’s obviously about going out there and doing it.”
Edmund joked on court that he now knows what it feels to be Andy Murray after carrying British hopes through the tournament and all the attention that comes with that.
Murray has made five finals at Melbourne Park, and if Edmund wants to follow in his footsteps he will have to beat Croatia’s Marin Cilic, who pushed Rafael Nadal to five sets before the world number one succumbed to a hip problem.
“You just dream of lots of things,” said Edmund. “It’s all a dream. Until it becomes a reality, then it really hits you.
“You dream of playing in grand slams, first of all. I’ve done that. Hitting with the top guys.
“I remember being a practice partner for Andy and Rafa and Roger, to warm then up. Then suddenly you’re playing these guys. At first, it’s a bit surreal. Then you take it in your stride. That competitive instinct comes in. You want to beat them.
“A dream was to play for my country. I’ve done that. But of course the big one is to be in grand slam finals. Obviously a dream is to win them.”
Edmund had every reason to be confident having survived long battles and extreme heat to make it through to the last eight.
He also knew he could match Dimitrov having twice come close to beating him, most recently earlier this month in Brisbane.