By Alberto Amalfi | Saturday, February 11, 2017
David Goffin dethroned defending champion Roberto Bautista Agut, 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (3), and will face home favorite Grigor Dimitrov in the Sofia final.
Photo credit: @SofiaOpen.bg
They met in the Australian Open quarterfinals last month.
Grigor Dimitrov and David Goffin will face off again tomorrow with the Sofia title on the line.
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Empowered by a rousing reception from home fans, a dynamic Dimitrov dismissed Nikoloz Basilashvili, 6-1, 6-3, to reach his second final in three tournaments this season.
A red-hot Dimitrov slashed nine aces and denied all three break points he faced racing through the second semifinal in 63 minutes.
Brisbane champion Dimitrov, who raised his record to 13-1, is bidding for his second title of the season.
The Australian Open semifinalist believes he's becoming a more mature, focused player.
"So far everything is being gone pretty well," Dimitrov said. "I am playing good tennis, throughout the whole year, keeping healthy. I feel happy. Growing up. Just focusing on myself. Focusing on my game. I put everything to rest for now – nicknames, predictions, ranking – everything like that is put aside. I am focusing on the target."
Serving with precision under pressure, Goffin dethroned defending champion Roberto Bautista Agut, 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (3) in today’s opening semifinal.
Continuing his quest for his first title since the 2014 Metz, Goffin hit five of his 12 aces in the final set.
“I am really happy. It was a tough battle," Goffin said. "I knew before that I have to fight because he is a great fighter. I knew that I have to be offensive and aggressive until the end if I want to win this match.
"It was not easy. He was serving really well, we broke each other a lot of times. The battle was mentally also, so I am really proud that I have won."
Dimitrov dominated Goffin, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4, in the Australian Open quarterfinals last month. The Bulgarian beat Goffin in their only other meeting at the 2014 US Open.
"We played two weeks ago," Dimitrov said. "Obviously he would be looking for a revenge. He will try to play more aggressively, to play his style. But am at home, I will play in front of local fans.
"So I like my chances. I am happy to play on Sunday. I never rest on Sunday. It is a great chance to get on the court and to play a big match."
Serving at 4-5, love-30 in the final set, Goffin was two points from elimination.
The Belgian scrapped back to deuce. Snapping an ace down the middle for game point, Goffin threw down another stinging serve to hold.
The defending champion opened the tie break with a high forehand volley. Goffin answered with his 11th ace then won a 22-shot duel when Bautista Agut sailed a forehand for 2-1.
Moving forward, Goffin thumped an overhead winner for the mini break and a 3-2 lead. Bautista Agut drew a backhand error snatching the mini break to get back on serve at 3-4. Drawing the short ball he wanted, the Spaniard slapped a shot into net falling behind 3-5.
Goffin was sprinting to his left when he slid a gorgeous backhand pass down the line for match points.
It was a superb strike that saw the Belgian thread the needle, while a diving Bautista Agut lost the handle on his racquet trying in vain to volley the pass.
A Goffin serve out wide sealed a quality two hour, 44-minute victory.
Seeking his first win over Dimitrov in tomorrow's final Goffin knows he'll be waging a battle on multiple fronts taking on both Dimitrov and the Bulgarian fans eager to see their man win his sixth career title and first on home soil.
“Physically I am feeling good, I have no pain," Goffin said. "I think I will be ready for tomorrow. If I play Grigor tomorrow all the stadium will be behind him. It will be like Davis Cup atmosphere and it is not going to be easy. I am ready for this. It will take me a lot of energy.
"It is a final. I am going to give everything and we will see what will happen. Grigor is such a nice player. He has everything in his racquet. It is not easy to find solutions against him. I have to be aggressive and to try something different. After the match at Australian Open I have to change something.
"Hopefully I will try to serve better. I remember in Melbourne I didn’t serve very well. The conditions are different, so we will see. It is tough to compare two matches."