Andy Murray vs. Grigor Dimitrov: Score, Reaction from 2015 Australian Open

Andy Murray beat Grigor Dimitrov in four sets on Sunday, triumphing 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-5 over the Bulgarian to claim his spot in the Australian Open quarter-finals.  

As the tournament's official Twitter account confirmed, it maintains a stellar record for the Scot in this competition, though Sunday's win was far from rudimentary:

Murray was clearly aware of the close nature of the tie, too, quoted as saying afterward that a host of fortunate close calls went in his direction, but hailed it as a great fixture overall:

No. 10 seed Dimitrov took some quick initiative to assume a three-game lead early in the first set, holding Murray to 15 before breaking his opponent at the first time of asking. 

The Bulgarian showed thrilling confidence in his forehand to establish the early assault, with the official Australian Open Twitter account commending his sensational baseline play:

Gradually, Murray began to worm his way back into the opening set, though, and he took his foe to deuce in the fourth game before sealing the first of three successive games in his favour.

Clearly, a slow beginning had taken the Scot off guard, but it wasn't long before Murray claimed a break of his own to reduce the deficit further:

Both players showed a willingness to risk shots down the line, and it paid off in Murray's favour, but the three-time Australian Open finalist sent a backhand long and gifted Dimitrov a vital game point at 4-3.

It would be the last game of the opening set that the sixth-seed would concede, though, and Murray once again clinched three in succession to claim the opener 6-4, sealing it in style:

Dimitrov was putting up a stronger defence than Murray may have expected, where patience was key to Murray claiming rallies that a more rushed performance would have sacrificed.

In Set 2, it was again the underdog who started the brighter of the two as Dimitrov held his serve and forced Murray to give up the opening game with a long forehand ending up just outside the boundaries.

Murray's frustrations were clear for the Melbourne crowd to see, as every unforced error was met with a slap of the thigh or worse, but collecting his thoughts proved pivotal to remaining in contention.

In fact, he even managed to look the more rhythmic party, per tennis writer Chris Goldsmith, after gathering to break Dimitrov for a third time and assemble a 2-1 lead in the second set:

Any signs of recent injury looked well past the Scot, as his agility around the court was key to establishing a 3-1 lead before Dimitrov finally unearthed a break of his own to level at 3-3.

The momentum of the opening set went back and forth in patches, but as the fight wore on, the pair looked more evenly matched, trading blows in quick succession to make for a much closer tie:

The need for Dimitorv to hold serve become more essential as things progressed, and last year's quarter-finalist was successful in edging his way into a 5-4 lead, Murray doing the same to tie up at five games apiece.

However, at a key juncture in the fixture, Murray struck to claim back-to-back games, showing superb reactions and utilising his drop shot to perfection in assuming the lead at 6-4. Evidencing the close discourse that the match had taken on, Dimitrov performed an identical achievement to draw level at 6-6.

Murray did have his chances to seal the second set with his opponent stumbling in the 12th game, but Dimitrov managed to wade through and break back thanks to Murray's double fault.

In the tiebreak, Dimitrov's rocky tempo under pressure might have seen him give way, but the Bulgarian stood firm to emerge 7-5 victor thanks to a rasping serve down the middle that Murray could only hit into the net:

Performance wasn't necessarily the key to Murray's flagging form. He was showing glimpses of his best in movement and shots played, but Dimitrov was simply standing up to the threat in front of him and dishing everything he received back in equal measure.

Dimitrov's backhand ability was tested in the third set, but still Murray would display lapses in concentration at crucial times, the pair exchanging serve points as the latter took a 4-3 lead.

The longer rallies had started to run in Dimitrov's direction, but as Bet365 confirmed, Murray came out with a decisive break point at 5-3 to set himself up for what would be a pivotal set decider:

That break was timed to perfection, as it was Dimitrov's turn to blast into the net at a crossroads, with Murray holding serve to claim the third set by the largest distance of the match at that point:

It wasn't a momentum the Scot could maintain, though, and before long Murray found himself looking at a three-game deficit of his own, losing serve at the first time of asking in the fourth set to trail 4-1.

Dimitrov steadily built his assault and even teetered on the edge of a fourth-set victory at 5-2, but Murray wasn't willing to go down so easily, forced into a series of cross-court heroics that eventually brought him within a game of his enemy.

As Goldsmith attested, it was at this point that Dimitrov began to show a rise in unforced errors, something he had so far managed to stave off:

Murray manipulated the court to his advantage and shifted Dimitrov from one corner to the next, stamina clearly becoming a more substantial factor in the clash as the sets wore on, with Murray tying up at 5-5.

From the jaws of defeat, Murray smelled blood and made his move. Looking like the dejected party, it was Dimitrov's turn to make his anger felt on the Melbourne court, per the official Australian Open Twitter account:

Losing his serve for the second time in a row, Dimitrov's capitulation looked to be complete; after leading at 5-2, the 23-year-old now trailed 6-5.

The Bulgarian's misery was typified further by the one-sided nature of the last game, which Murray served out with a spring in his step, knowing at this stage that the result was his for the taking:

Perseverance, patience and pragmatism were all essential attributes in a hard-fought win for Murray, who wades his way into a sixth consecutive appearance in the Australian Open quarters.

He'll take on Nick Kyrgios, the Australian native who promises to have a thunderous support behind him and comes into the collision on the back of a victory over Andreas Seppi.

Speaking of his upcoming opponent, Murray anticipated a fierce clash with Kyrgios, outlining some of the Canberra native's strongest attributes:

A faster start will be critical for Murray in the final eight, having verged near defeat thanks to a beleaguered show of initiative against Dimitrov.