
Grigor Dimitrov required almost three hours to dismiss Vikor Troicki 5-7, 7-6(6), 6-2, at the ATP Brisbane International.
As the match got underway, both players were impressive in their service games with no breaks of serves during the first 10 games. Troicki came close to a breakthrough when he had two chances to break in the sixth game but he failed to convert. The Serbian was more consistent during the first set than Dimitrov as he faced no break points. The work invested by the Troicki eventually paid off when he broke Dimitrov to lead 6-5 before successfully serving the first set out.
After dropping the first set, Dimitrov received another blow at the start of the second when Troicki broke to extend his lead to a set and 2-0. The former Wimbledon semifinalist was then just two games away from defeat as he trailed 5-7, 2-4. With the odds mounting against him, the Bulgarian finally generated some momentum in the match when he broke back to level at 4-4. Similar to the opening set, both men remained stubborn on their serve, fending off attacks, as the set went into a tie-break.
Dimitrov produced a strong start to the tie-break as he broke the weakening Tricki serve twice to race to an 5-1 lead. The gap generated by Dimitrov was short lived after Troicki hit back by breaking twice to put proceedings back on serve at 4-5. The Bulgarian had a double chance to clinch the set, but was denied by Troicki. Fortunately, it was third time lucky for Dimitrov after he broke his rival for the fourth time in the tie-breaker to take proceedings into a final set.
The task of running away with the match was still hard for Dimitrov to achieve after a series of gruelling games occurring in the early part of the final set. Converting two out of his four break points during the decider, Dimitrov was finally able to take control of the match as he battled to 5-2. Serving for the match, the world No.28 endured a 4-deuce game before seeing off the Serbian. After fending off a break point and squandering three match points, Dimitrov successfully converted his fourth to reach the semifinal of the tournament.
During the marathon encounter, Dimitrov fired 9 aces, won 73% of his first serves and converted 3/9 break points. In his first ATP semifinal since May, Dimitrov could face another tough match against 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer. Federer will play German qualifier Tobias Kamke in his quarterfinal match.
In the other quarter of the draw, Milos Raonic fired 17 aces during his 6-7(2), 6-1, 6-4, victory over Ivan Dodig. Throughout the tricky match, which lasted almost two-and-a-half hours, the Canadian triumphantly fended off all three break points that he faced. Raonic won 82% of his first service points and 52% of his second.
Next up for Raonic will be a surprise meeting with French talent Lucas Pouille. The world No.78 stunned sixth seed David Goffin 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3. The 21-year-old will play in only his third semifinal on the ATP Tour.