Dimitrov beats Raonic to reach final in Brisbane
Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov beat top seed and defending champion Milos Raonic in the semi-final of the Brisbane International on Saturday.
Seventh seed Dimitrov saved a set point in the opener on his way to a 7-6 (9-7) 6-2 win over the Canadian world number three.
The world number 17 will face Japan’s third seed Kei Nishikori in the final.
World number five Nishikori beat US Open champion Stan Wawrinka 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 in the first semi-final.
Swiss Wawrinka had knocked out British number two Kyle Edmund in the quarter-finals.
“Nishikori is one of the trickiest players out there,” Dimitrov said after his win. “He has a tremendous fighting spirit. He has quite a few weapons if you think about it.”
The Brisbane international is a warm-up event for the Australian Open, which begins on 16 January.