Dimitrov survives match points to end Millman challenge
John Millman came agonisingly close to a Brisbane International upset, but Grigor Dimitrov showed his class to reach the last eight.
Defending champion Grigor Dimitrov survived two match points to end the hopes of local boy John Millman and reach the quarter-finals of the Brisbane International.
Brisbane native Millman had one chance on serve in a second-set tie-break and another crack on Dimitrov's, but both opportunities went begging in a dramatic contest.
And those misses were punished as the ATP Finals champion overcame a major scare against a player ranked 125 places below him to record a 4-6 7-6 (10-8) 6-3 victory.
World number three Dimitrov, making his season debut, had broken in the second set only to hand that straight back, and the Bulgarian won an epic rally to save a first match point before a mammoth forehand staved off the second.
Deflated by losing the set, Millman was outclassed in the decider, as Dimitrov earned a last-eight tie with Kyle Edmund following the Briton's 7-6 (7-3) 5-7 6-4 beating of Chung Hyeon.
.@kyle8edmund ends winning streak of Hyeon Chung for @BrisbaneTennis SF. Read & Watch: https://t.co/87yBiu0UTR pic.twitter.com/tivQqVIWSi
— ATP World Tour (@ATPWorldTour) January 4, 2018
Denis Istomin defeated Jared Donaldson 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 and will now meet Ryan Harrison, after the American recovered from going a set down to defeat Yannick Hanfmann.
