Henman impressed by wizard of Aus Kyle
TIM Henman hailed Kyle Edmund’s stunning Australian Open run after the Englishman booked his place in the semi-finals at Melbourne Park.
Henman was in the front row at the Rod Laver Arena to see Edmund defeat Grigor Dimitrov 6-4 3-6 6-3 6-4 and set up a clash with Marin Cilic in the last four.
The 23-year-old is only the sixth British man to reach the last four in singles at a slam in the Open era after Roger Taylor, John Lloyd, Henman, Greg Rusedski and Andy Murray. Said Henman: “It’s a nice surprise. I was impressed by his maturity, the way, even though he lost his serve earlier on in the fourth set, he was able to step up and finish it off at 5-4. It’s a fantastic effort and a match that he’ll take a lot of confidence from.”
Edmund made his first grand slam breakthrough at the US Open in 2016 when he reached the fourth round but his progress stalled last season because of a failure to close out tight matches.
But he has now answered the doubters emphatically, and Henman said: “It’s a big step. He’s been in the fourth round of a slam but first grand slam quarter-finals against Dimitrov, who’s a class player, it’s a great win.
“That’s been the big difference in the short term.
“He had such a poor final-set record last year and in this tournament he’s finding a way to get over the finish line and that’s a big part of being a good pro.”
He now faces Cilic, who progressed after Rafael Nadal retired hurt in the fifth set of their quarter-final match.