Denis Istomin threatens fresh shock but Grigor Dimitrov comes through

Updated 23/01/2017 at 09:54 GMT

Grigor Dimitrov reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final in over two years on Monday by defeating an injury-hampered Denis Istomin 2-6 7-6(2) 6-2 6-1 to end the Uzbek wildcard's fairytale run at Melbourne Park.

Grigor Dimitrov in action

Image credit: AFP

Istomin, who famously knocked out Novak Djokovic, looked ready to spring another surprise when he took the first set against the Bulgarian.

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But his exertions on court in Melbourne over the first week appeared to take their toll as he broke down physically, apparently with a thigh injury, allowing Dimitrov to take control.

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Istomin had the trainer out and looked at one stage as though he would conceded, but battled on to earn the admiration of the crowd, even as he lost.

Running 117th-ranked Istomin all over the Margaret Court Arena on a scorching hot day, Dimitrov raced through the last two sets and closed out the match in two hours and 24 minutes.