Andy Murray loses to Grigor Dimitrov in Wimbledon quarters

Dimitrov, 23, played superbly to win 6-1 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 in two hours and one minute and reach his first Grand Slam semi-final, BBC reports. Murray had been on a 17-match winning streak at Wimbledon and was looking to reach his sixth consecutive semi-final. However, Dimitrov's big serve, variety of shots and athletic defence proved too much for Murray. The atmosphere on Centre Court was in marked contrast to 12 months ago, when 15,000 thrilled spectators watched Murray become the first Briton since Fred Perry in 1936 to win the men's singles. In the year that followed, Murray had back surgery in September and lost the services of coach Ivan Lendl in March, with Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo stepping into the role on the eve of Wimbledon. But only four men in the open era - Bjorn Borg, Boris Becker, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer - had returned after their first Wimbledon victory to defend the title, and despite impressing in the earlier rounds, Murray fell well short against 11th seed Dimitrov. "My start to the match was poor," said Murray. "I started the match badly and I think that gave him confidence. "I should have done a better job at the beginning of the match of making it tougher for him, and I didn't manage to do that. "Also, when I got back into the second set, that was my opportunity there." The 27-year-old Scot, whose winning run at SW19 included his 2012 Olympic gold and last year's Wimbledon triumph, could not convert a break point in a tight opening game, and Dimitrov grew in confidence from the opening four-minute test. He had little trouble returning the Murray serve and, unlike the Briton's previous opponents, was able to dictate in the longer exchanges. Pinned way behind the baseline, Murray began to make errors, and it was an ambitious backhand when forced out wide that saw the Scot drop serve in game four. If that drew a murmur from the afternoon crowd on Centre Court, there were a few gasps when Dimitrov broke to love for a 5-1 lead and served out the set confidently after just 25 minutes. Full story