The first Grand Slam of the year has reached the second week, and the picture of the quarterfinals stages is complete. Perhaps the most notable absence from the men's contest, Andy Murray decided to go for a definitory surgery on his hip thus skipping the first Aussie Open since 2005. Not having Murray in the fighting pit may have created some mixed feelings among the tennis fans, but, on the other hand, it was like opening a door for second-tier names.
Andy Murray has had some fine days in Melbourne over the years as he has made it into five finals.
He went on losing all of them, but the consistency has never been up for debate. As a result of his absence, Kyle Edmund, a 23-year-old player, became Britain's No. 1 player in men's singles. And, so far, he seems to have met the expectations, and perhaps a little more.
Kyle Edmund is having a Grand Slam breakthrough
As a player who had his fair share of injuries over the past two years, Kyle Edmund could use the ongoing Aussie momentum to bring his career into a whole new territory. He might seem a late bloomer but time may be just right. He is into his first Grand Slam quarterfinal where Grigor Dimitrov awaits. While the Bulgarian will try to match last year's outcome, for Kyle Edmund, the possibility of reaching a Major semifinal must weight heavy on his shoulders.
All the signs indicate that the Brit has to be considered as a future factor in men's tennis. En route to the last eight stages, he made a solid run. It all started with a five sets thriller in the round of 128 as he had to deal with the 2017 US Open runner-up Kevin Anderson. Standing firmly on his toes, he was able to recover from a 2-1 sets deficit to edge past Anderson.
The round of 64 had Edmund breezing past Denis Istomin in straight sets only to bump into another heartbreaking third round match against Nikoloz Basilashvili. Once again, the Brit was trailing on a 2-1 deficit but mounted yet another comeback. The fourth round followed a similar route with Kyle losing the opening set to Andreas Seppi of Italy.
Once he settled, he was able to produce some solid tennis which eventually led him to a comfortable win.
If he gets past Dimitrov, Edmund will cross paths either with Rafael Nadal or Marin Cilic.
Kyle Edmund's run gives hope for the future
Reaching the quarterfinals guarantees Kyle Edmund a solid climb in the ranking. If he gets at least one step further, he will break into the top 30.
Over the past decade or so, Andy Murray has been the one to bear the British flag in the ATP circuit. But, Andy is now heading towards the final phase of his career, and it's to have some young blood making the headlines. Moreover, there are a lot of uncertainties regarding Murray's path once he is fully recovered after that hip surgery.
Therefore, Edmund is here to give hope and possibly to try filling up some big shoes.
Regardless the outcome of this event, Aussie Open is a turning point in Kyle Edmund's professional career. He will the expectations growing around him, as well as the pressure of being a favorite. It'll be interesting to watch how he'll handle this brand new status he is about to wear on.
