Grigor Dimitrov peaked in 2017 when he won his first Masters 1000 title, his first ATP Finals crown and reached his second grand slam semifinal. While the year saw him take players to the brink of defeat, the former world no. 3’s following seasons saw him struggle to reach the height of his 2017 season.
However, 2023 is proving to be a significant milestone in his career, as he played his first ATP final since 2018 and re-entered the top 20 in the ATP rankings. In the Shanghai Open, the Bulgarian is producing quality tennis while toppling top seeds.
Grigor Dimitrov beats Nicolas Jarry to reach Shanghai Masters semifinals
After handing number one seed Carlos Alcaraz a shock loss in the fourth round, with whom he had one of the longest rallies in Wimbledon, Grigor Dimitrov found the going easier in the quarterfinals, where he defeated no.22 seed
Jarry in straight sets.
Having played and lost twice earlier to Jarry, Dimitrov knew his opponent’s prowess and strengths. However, with momentum on his side, the world no.19 came out of the blocks with heavy hitting that had his opponent pinned on the baseline.
Never facing a breakpoint throughout the match, Grigor Dimitrov needed a hour and a half to dispatch the Chilean 7-6(2), 6-4.
The win meant that Dimitrov reached the Shanghai Masters semifinals for the first time ever, and will hope that with top seeds being ousted early in the tournament, he will be able to display his top game to defeat a familiar foe in the semifinals.
Grigor Dimitrov to face Andrey Rublev in the Shanghai Masters semifinals
Standing at the other end of the hard court on Saturday will be Russian no.5 seed Andrey Rublev, whom Grigor Dimitrov has faced 6 times over the past few years, with both sharing a 3-3 record. They even met in the 2017 US Open, where the Russian ran out victor over an in-form Grigor Dimitrov.
Rublev broke no sweat as he marched past Ugo Humbert 6-2, 6-3 in the quarterfinals to seal his place alongside Dimitrov, Hubert Hurckaz and Sebastian Korda in the last four.
Both players know that after big serving Hubert Hurckaz defeated Korda in the other semifinals, that a win would place them one win away from winning their first Shanghai Masters title, winning 1000 ATP points and taking home $1,262,220 in cash prize.
Will the Bulgarian defeat his top-ten opponent and progress to face Hubert Hurckaz? Let us know in the comments section below.
