By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday March 28, 2024
Grigor Dimitrov played one of the matches of his life as he took down Carlos Alcaraz to reach the Miami Open semis.
Photo Source: TTV
Two days ago, when Grigor Dimitrov edged former champion Hubert Hurkacz to reach the quarterfinals in Miami for the first time, the 32-year-old Bulgarian admitted that the tournament had been his “kryptonite” for many years.
Consider that kryptonite crushed.
Dimitrov put on a near-perfect display against heavily favored Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday night inside Hard Rock Stadium, locking up a breathtaking 6-2, 6-4 victory to reach the semifinals.
“I’m just happy I finished in straight sets for once,” the former World No.3 said after his win.
On the flipside there was Alcaraz, the high-flying Spaniard carried a nine-match winning streak into the match and he didn’t play poorly – there was simply not much he could do to derail the Dimitrov express.
“He made me feel like I'm 13 years old,” Alcaraz said with a smile in his post-match press conference. “It was crazy. I was talking to my team saying ‘I don't know what I have to do. I don't know, you know, his weakness. I don't know anything.’”
Alcaraz has now lost two in a row against Dimitrov, after winning the pair’s first three meetings, but he can still hold his head high after winning the Indian Wells title and playing good tennis in Miami, which puts his season back on track.
Still, the loss stung him a bit, as he was dominated on a big stage, with high-level celebrities such as former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson and Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler in attendance.
The big stage is usually Alcaraz’s place to shine, but on Thursday it was an inspired Dimitrov who had his glow-up moment.
“That's why I have frustration right now, but, you know, in the thought of tennis, I left the court happy with my level,” Alcaraz said.
It was obvious from the start that Dimitrov was playing brilliantly, the question was whether or not he could keep it up to finish his win.
In the opening set Dimitrov tattooed backhand return winners, worked the court with variety and precision, and outplayed Alcaraz in pretty much every facet.
After taking the opening set, 6-2, Dimitrov kept up the pressure and stepped ahead 4-1 in the second, but Alcaraz picked up his pace off the ground and reeled him back in to 4-all.
Would the 32-year-old hold his nerve and notch his 19th career Top-5 win?
Yes, and yes.
Dimitrov righted the ship with a hold for 5-4 then went on the attack as Alcaraz served to stay alive. With two match points to work with and Alcaraz serving at 15-40, he wasted no time, putting a return at Alcaraz’s feet, which forced the Spaniard to miss the forehand wide.
Dimitrov's absolutely devastating performance was over in 93 minutes.
It was yet another reminder that Dimitrov is playing his best form in seven years. He won his first title since 2017 earlier this season in Brisbane, and improves his record to 19-4 with tonight’s win.
Alcaraz may have summed it up the best in his candid presser when he said: “I really want to see the stats. You know, probably they're going to rank him 10 or 9.9, something like that…”