Grigor Dimitrov survives thriller with battling qualifier Mackenzie McDonald to progress
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ByEurosport
Updated 17/01/2018 at 14:58 GMT
Third seed Grigor Dimitrov was forced to a fifth set by world number 186 Mackenzie McDonald before scraping through 4-6 6-2 6-4 0-6 8-6 in the Australian Open second round.
Grigor Dimitrov reacts after beating Mackenzie McDonald of the US in their men's singles second round match on day three of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne.
Image credit: Eurosport
American qualifier McDonald matched Dimitrov for large swathes of a match that lasted three hours and 25 minutes on Rod Laver Arena before the Bulgarian broke his unheralded opponent in the 14th game of the final set to advance.
Dimitrov - who suffered the ignominy of a bagel in the fourth set - let out a huge roar at the end of the match realising his good fortune.
"He (McDonald) deserves a lot of credit. He played an unbelievable game," said Dimitrov, who claimed his biggest title to date in November by winning the ATP Finals.
"I had to fight so much and in the end I think my experience helped me. I'm so happy with the result and the fight."
He will face 30th seed Andrey Rublev in the last 32 on Friday in what promises to be another epic with the 20-year-old Russian enjoying victories over David Ferrer and Marco Baghdatis to maintain his progress.
Dimitrov, a semi-finalist at Melbourne Park last year, fell in a huge hole in the fourth set against the free-swinging American, whose shot-making and composure made a mockery of his humble ranking.
Dimitrov had to wait and hope for McDonald to falter under the lights at Rod Laver Arena, and finally the American did with a double-fault that gave up match point.
Dimitrov held on until McDonald slammed a forehand into the net prompting huge relief from the other side of the net.
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