By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, January 25, 2015

 

Andy Murray won the final five games to defeat Grigor Dimitrov and reach his sixth straight Australian Open quarterfinal.

Photo credit: corleve

A fifth set was looming, but Andy Murray was in no mood for long-distance drama.

The sixth-seeded Murray drained Grigor Dimitrov's legs with cross-court combinations, confounded him with a slick backhand stab volley and denied the Bulgarian's bid to extend an all-court adventure into a decisive set.

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Murray reeled off five consecutive games to subdue Dimitrov 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 7-5 in a wildly-entertaining fourth-round match that featured some severe shifts of momentum.

The match offered some electric running exchanges, a crucial Murray volley on a ball that appeared to be behind him and an eruption of frustration from Dimitrov, who splattered his Wilson racquet to the court in disgust after dropping serve to fall behind 5-6 in the fourth set.

The victory vaults Murray into an electric quarterfinal with 19-year-old Australian Nick Kyrgios, who saved a match point in roaring back from a two-set deficit to defeat Andreas Seppi 5-7, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(5), 8-6, and become the first Aussie man to reach the last eight at his home Slam since Lleyton Hewitt in 2005.

"It's crazy. I don't think it's sunk in yet," said Kyrgios. "When I saw I had finally won the match it was incredible. It was the best feeling I ever had. To know the body could come back from two sets to love, knowing I haven't had matches, it's just massive confidence."

Dimitrov dictated play with his first serve in surprising defending champion Murray in the 2014 Wimbledon quarterfinals. Murray came out attacking Dimitrov's second serve, playing sharp cross-court angles and stretching the world No. 11 in running rallies in this rematch.

The three-time Australian Open finalist serve for a two-set lead at 6-5 and was on the verge of a two-set lead, but could not close as Dimitrov broke to force the tie breaker.

Soaring to snap off a backhand overhead winner, Dimitrov took a 3-2 lead in the breaker and was sparked by that athletic shot. A lunging backhand volley and wide serve gave Dimitrov triple set point. He slashed a serve winner down the middle followed by a fist pump to level the match.

By that time, Bulgarian fans were heartily chanting "Grigor Dimitrov! Grigor Dimitrov!" He gave them more to shout about saving a pair of break points in the eighth game. Murray silenced the challenge and stared down the screamers.

Cornering Dimitrov in backhand side, Murray caught the Bulgarian trying to run around backhand. He netted a forehand as Murray converted his seventh break point for the lone break of the third set and a 5-3 advantage.

Dimitrov, who won five of six trips to net in the third, began to assert his net game in the fourth set. Continuing to press forward, a revitalized Dimitrov followed a forehand return into net earning set point on Murray's serve at 5-2. Murray erased it, drilling a diagonal forehand to draw the error. The Scot unleashed successive twisting serves to earn a hard-fought hold for 3-5.

Serving to force a fifth set, Dimitrov tightened up, curling a cross-court backhand wide then missing the mark on an inside-out forehand handing Murray double break point. Unleashing his frustrations on the ball, Dimitrov blasted a forehand winner to save the first break point, but launched a forehand well beyond the baseline to donate the break.

One of the most pulsating rallies of the match saw a sprinting Dimitrov lash a forehand down the line but a blurring Murray somehow intercepted the shot angling a full-stretch backhand volley winner. It was an eye-popping point that gave Murray a burst of energy. He held at 30 for 5-all.

The Murray return was a key stroke. He converted seven of 19 break points forcing Dimitrov into demanding service games. In contrast, Dimitrov faced just two break points in his Wimbledon win over the Scot.

When Murray belted a backhand return winner down the line to break for 6-5, Dimitrov snapped. He wound up and slammed his racquet to the court in disgust leaving a mangled wreckage of both his Wilson frame and fifth-set aspirations.

Bending a slider serve down the middle, Murray earned match point. The duel ended on a dribbler as Murray's forehand collided into the top of the tape and crawled over sending him into his sixth straight Australian Open quarterfinal.