Dimitrov retires in Brisbane, Lehecka reaches the final
It's time for the semi-finals of the ATP 250 tournament in Brisbane. Following Novak Djokovic's elimination by Reilly Opelka, the field is opening up ever wider, and defending champion Grigor Dimitrov is one of the few players to hold his own in this tournament.
However, the Bulgarian had a formidable opponent in Jiri Lehecka, currently ranked 28th in the world, in the last four.
The Czech eliminated Holger Rune in the first round before confirming his form against Nishioka and Jarry in the last two matches.
This was the biggest test for Dimitrov, who benefited from Jordan Thompson's withdrawal in the previous round after eliminating Hanfmann and Vukic in his first two matches of the year.
Unfortunately, the winner of the 2017 ATP Finals was unable to complete his match.
Diminished by a left leg injury, he had to throw in the towel when the score was 6-4, 4-4 in favor of the Czech, back to a good level after his back injury in Madrid last year.
The 23-year-old will be looking for his second title on the circuit, following on from the one he won in Adelaide, Australia, last year.
To do so, he'll need a big server, as he'll be facing Reilly Opelka or Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard later on.