(Reuters) - The man once labeled "Baby Federer" was supposed to have outgrown the original version by now, but Grigor Dimitrov is still living firmly in the shadow of the Swiss maestro.
Bulgarian Dimitrov will get another chance on Friday, however, to prove that despite a slower-than-expected rise towards the summit of tennis, he can deliver on his promise.
Standing in his way in the Australian Open third round will be 17-times grand slam champion Roger Federer, who at 34 shows no sign of fading as he seeks a fifth title at Melbourne Park.
World number three Federer has been sublime so far, cruising through his first two rounds, while Dimitrov, 10 years younger than the man his game seems modeled on, struggled to suppress wild-haired Argentine Marco Trungelliti on Wednesday before completing a 6-3 4-6 6-2 7-5 victory.