Brilliant Briton Kyle Edmund beats Grigor Dimitrov to reach last four

The 23-year-old produced a combination of thumping forehands and coolness under pressure to book a last-four meeting against either Rafa Nadal or Marin Cilic.

Edmund, ranked 49 and unseeded, had never been beyond the last 16 of a slam before arriving in Melbourne. He now finds himself on the brink of reaching the final - a feat achieved five times by countryman Andy Murray.

Edmund came out firing, using big groundstrokes to keep Dimitrov on the back foot. After the pair exchanged breaks, Edmund made his decisive move with a thumping forehand return to breach the Bulgarian's serve a second time.

A chastened Dimitrov reacted, winning the first three games of the second set. The third seed gave Edmund chances to get back into the set, at one point serving three double faults in a game, but the Briton spurned the opportunities.

Dimitrov's serving woes continued in the third - landing only 39% of first serves in. It was entirely appropriate that the decisive break should come via a weak double fault into the net. Edmund consolidated the break to clinch the set, coming from 15-30 thanks to some more ferocious baseline hitting.

Another wayward Dimitrov shot gave Edmund a potentially match-clinching break in the fourth, but the Briton's mask slipped as he handed the initiative straight back. But Edmund struck again in the ninth game after a HawkEye review showed a Dimitrov shot to have fallen roughly a nanometre wide of the sideline. The unseeded player converted the second of two break points before serving out to complete a stunning victory.

"It's an amazing feeling, very happy," 49th-ranked Edmund, who could face top seed Rafa Nadal in the next round if he beats Marin Cilic, said on court.

He could even overtake Murray, Britain's number one since 2006, in the rankings if he goes all the way to the final.

"I know what it feels like to be Andy Murray for the last eight years or however long," Edmund said of the spotlight now on him after his incredible run in Melbourne.

Dimitrov was heavy favourite after his superb fourth-round defeat of home favourite Nick Kyrgios but the portents were not good when he dropped serve in the opening game.

"Today was just one of those days, I just couldn't find a way," Dimitrov, still awaiting his first major final, said.