Third time was not the charm for Dominic Inglot as he and men’s doubles partner Marcus Daniell missed out in the Australian Open quarter-finals.
The Brit had reached this stage in Melbourne on two previous occasions but once again a place in the last four narrowly eluded him, despite saving three match points.
Inglot and his New Zealand partner lost out to Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic in three intriguing sets, with the match constantly toing and froing Down Under.
One break of serve made the difference as Marach and Pavic took the opener 6-4, though Inglot and Daniell fought back to take the second 7-6 following a 12-10 tiebreak.
They did so despite being up against match point on three occasions, though they were unable to close out the contest despite another tie-break, 6-4 6(10)-7 7-6(5) the final scoreline.
That means Kyle Edmund is the last Brit standing in the first Grand Slam of the year, gearing up for the first semi-final of his career, against sixth seed and former Wimbledon finalist Marin Cilic.
Defeating third seed Grigor Dimitrov in the last eight, Edmund has already shown his pedigree in a tournament which could see him leapfrog Andy Murray to become British No.1
But with new territory set to be ventured, there’s a desire from the 23-year-old to soak in the occasion as much as possible.
"There's no reason why I can't go out there and put a good level on the court, enjoy the occasion again," he said.
"A semi-final of a Grand Slam, it's a great feeling. I'll just try to take it in my stride as best as I can.
"It's obviously been a lot more attention that I usually get, just loads more texts and messages on social media. The reaction has been amazing.
“You dream of playing in Grand Slams, first of all. I’ve done that. Like hitting with the top guys.
“I remember being a practice partner for Andy [Murray] and Rafa [Nadal] and Roger [Federer], to warm then up.
“Then suddenly you’re playing these guys. At first, it’s a bit surreal, then you take it in your stride. That competitive instinct comes in and you want to beat them.”
Sportsbeat 2018