Grigor Dimitrov

[Lucas]

Dimitrov To Battle Isner In Cincy Semis

Spoiler:

Grigor Dimitrov is one win away from his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final after a commanding 6-2, 6-1 win over Japan’s Yuichi Sugita Friday at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. Dimitrov has now reached four semi-finals at the ATP World Tour’s premier tournament level, but is yet to reach a title match at the 1000s.
The Bulgarian broke World No. 46 Sugita at the beginning of the first set to race to a 3-0 lead and twice at the beginning of the second set to surge ahead 5-0. He lost just five points on serve and did not face a break point.
En route to victory, the seventh-seeded Bulgarian pulled off a spectacular diving hot shot volley, showing plenty of grit even when comfortably ahead a set and 4-0.

"It's a good feeling, for sure," said an elated Dimitrov in press. "It's a good feeling. I like playing in Cincinnati. I love that centre court, as well. I think all that brings me good memories and just a positive way of thinking when I come out there on the court.
"I think that was about it, to be honest. I didn't think I did anything spectacular except playing the game the right way today. Just glad to get off court for about an hour. Save some energy and prepare for tomorrow.
"It was just one of those days that you just had to adjust to the conditions. I just had to adjust a lot to the conditions. It was pretty swirly out there. I knew what I had to do against him. From the first point, I think I was on top of the game. That carried me on throughout the whole match."

Dimitrov will next play 2013 runner-up John Isner in Saturday's semi-finals. By reaching the semis, Dimitrov moves ahead of Andy Murray into eighth spot in the Emirates ATP Race To London. With fifth-placed Stan Wawrinka and seventh-placed Novak Djokovic having announced that they won’t play again this season, Dimitrov is well placed to grab one of the eight spots at the Nitto ATP Finals, where he is hoping to make his debut at the season-ending event.
Sugita was appearing in his first Masters 1000 quarter-final. The result may seem him surpass his career-high Emirates ATP Ranking of No. 43 on Monday.
Later on Friday, Isner moved past countryman Jared Donaldson 7-6(4), 7-5 in one hour and 30 minutes. The big-serving American launched 25 aces, while claiming an impressive 90 per cent of first serve points.
It was a serving paradise on a warm late afternoon at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, with both players combining to create just one break chance. That would be all Isner needed, breaking for 6-5 in the second set and closing it out with an ace one game later. The World No. 19 will bid for a second appearance in the Cincinnati final, following a runner-up finish in 2013 to Rafael Nadal.
Isner will face Dimitrov for just the second time in their FedEx ATP Head2Head, following a second round victory at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Miami in 2015. This time, much more is at stake for both competitors, with the 32-year-old American seeking a fourth appearance in a Masters 1000 final and the 26-year-old Bulgarian eyeing his first.
"It was a tough match," said Isner. "I knew it was going to be very tough. I thought the conditions were tricky. There were certainly some shadows on the court and it was pretty windy as well.
"I think for me it made it tough to really go for my shots, but having said that, I think my footwork was a bit off, because the ball wasn't sitting in the spot that I expected it to be. But all in all, I'm happy to eventually have won that match. I think I was pretty fortunate.
"Moving on to tomorrow, I should be feeling good. Just looking forward to that. Against Grigor, he's playing well this week. He's won some matches pretty easily. I think physically both of us should be coming into this match both feeling pretty good, not too haggard. We both should have a lot of confidence as well. So it's going to be a tough match. Very well could be my toughest match. It's one that I'm looking forward to and I know he is."
Donaldson, meanwhile, will leave Cincinnati with his head high after the #NextGenATP reached his first ATP World Tour quarter-final. The 20 year old is in the midst of an impressive US Open Series, having claimed a pair of straight-set scalps over Top 20 opponents in Montreal and Cincinnati, defeating Lucas Pouille and Roberto Bautista Agut respectively.
DID YOU KNOW?
Earlier this season, Dimitrov captured 5th and 6th ATP titles respectively at Brisbane (d. Thiem, Raonic and Nishikori) and Sofia (d. Goffin)
Dimitrov broke back into Top 10 of Emirates ATP Rankings on July 17 for the first time since February 23, 2015

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/dim ... inals-2017

[Damian]

[DUN I LOVE]

12. finał, ale na pewno najcenniejszy. 6-5 na przestrzeni kariery, 2-0 w tym sezonie.

[Barty]

Dimitrov Roars Into First Masters 1000 Final

Spoiler:

Bulgarian does not drop a set en route to Cincy final

Grigor Dimitrov will play in the biggest final of his career after edging John Isner 7-6(4), 7-6(10) in a gripping semi-final encounter at the Western & Southern Open.
With the partisan home crowd firmly in Isner's favour, Dimitrov played the role of spoiler, reaching his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final after two hours and three minutes. The seventh seed fired 10 aces, while overcoming 14 blasts off the Isner frame.
Dimitrov has found his top gear this week at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Cincinnati, not dropping a set en route to his 12th ATP World Tour final and third of the year. He lifted the trophy in Brisbane and Sofia to open his 2017 campaign.
The Bulgarian will face either Nick Kyrgios or David Ferrer in Sunday's final.
"I think it's a good step," said Dimitrov. "It's a good step. I have been on the tour for quite some time now, and I appreciate those moments. I'm starting to appreciate them even more.
"Being able to compete at a final, it's always a great feeling. No matter Masters 1000 or 250, it's always something that you work for. It all comes down to that.

"For me, as I said, right now is just all about just going step by step and just building up not only my confidence, my game, to be able to do that pretty much every time I'm entering a tournament. And I feel good. I think the body is responding well. I have been playing good tennis, as well. So that actually helps.
"Hopefully tomorrow is going to be one of those days that I can, again, produce good tennis. But not only that. I just kind of want to make sure that I'm going in the right direction."
More than two years removed from their lone previous encounter on the hard courts of Miami, Dimitrov struggled to adapt to Isner's heavy game as proceedings got underway on a hot and humid afternoon. The Bulgarian found his own serve under attack as well, converting just one of his first six second-serve points.
Isner applied the pressure midway through the set, earning a pair of break points at 3-2 15/40. But Dimitrov held his ground, turning aside both opportunities and escaping a deuce game at 4-3. The opener would move to a tie-break, where Dimitrov's first backhand winner of the match arrived at a critical juncture. A 95 mph laser into the corner earned him the decisive mini-break for 3/2 and he would take the opener after 50 minutes.
Dimitrov entered the match with a staggering 26-4 record in 2017 when winning the first set. He survived a 12-point opening service game in the second set, striking a sublime drop shot winner to hold.
Both players would have their chances as the set moved towards an inevitable tie-break. Isner was clutch in the crucial moments. Serving to stay in the match at 5-4, he saved a match point with a thunderous serve out wide and turned aside two more at 7/6 and 9/8 in the ensuing tie-break.
Painting line after line, Dimitrov saved a set point at 10/9 with a brilliant backhand winner down the line and carried the momentum into his fourth match point, which he converted as Isner netted a forehand. Both players fired 27 winners during the two-hour clash, but it was Dimitrov who was steadier from the back of the court, hitting 22 unforced errors to Isner's 37.
"Today was, I think, one of those matches that I really had to just be patient. I think that that was the key. I knew I'm not going to have that many rallies against John. I knew that he's going to serve big, bold serves.
"I just had to be very composed and use every opportunity that I had," Dimitrov added. "I think in the end of the match, it was just a few points that made the biggest difference for me.
"I'm just happy obviously with the win, but I'm just happy with the way I kept myself together throughout the whole match. Just remained calm in those tough moments. I mean, I know it's nerve-wracking from outside, but it's even tougher when you're in there and have to receive a serve that comes 141 miles an hour."
Dimitrov is the fourth player to reach his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final this year. He joins Albert Ramos-Vinolas (Monte Carlo), Dominic Thiem (Madrid) and Alexander Zverev (Rome) as final debutantes.
Isner was bidding to reach his fourth Masters 1000 final and second in Cincinnati. The 2013 finalist (l. to Nadal) is in the midst of a staggering service rhythm despite the loss, holding in 146 of his last 149 service games. The North Carolina native will next move to Winston-Salem where he is the third seed.
"I think the difference was he was a bit more decisive in the big moments," said Isner. "Maybe a little calmer, as well. Sometimes you take the court and everything is going well and you're not thinking too much out there and things are free flowing. At times that was the case out there for me, but at times maybe it wasn't. And I think that cost me a little bit. I just think he was, as I said, a little more decisive and a little more free flowing in the big moments. And of course in a match like that, separated by a few points here or there, that was the case. So credit to him.
"I think I stepped up this week, which is what I was doing prior to this week, as well, and that's just sort of going for my shots. There are some times when I didn't, but all in all, I think I just gotta keep that up. It's the only way I can play.
"And looking ahead to the US Open, I have a good team, got a great coach and great person to keep me healthy, so just keep working on the right things and I should be in pretty good shape heading into that tournament."

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/cin ... trov-isner

[Barty]

Dimitrov Beats Kyrgios For Maiden Masters 1000 Title

Spoiler:

Bulgarian comes through in his first Masters 1000 final

The best season of Grigor Dimitrov's career continued on Sunday with the biggest title of his life.
The 26-year-old Bulgarian beat Aussie Nick Kyrgios 6-3, 7-5 to win the Western & Southern Open title in Cincinnati, his third ATP World Tour crown of the year and first at the Masters 1000 level in his career.
Dimitrov matches a career-high with his third title of the season. He also claimed three crowns in 2014, winning The Queen's Club, Bucharest and Acapulco.
“I'm just happy. There's nothing else I can say, honestly. I'm just happy and I'm humbled to have that trophy in my hands, and especially to win here, my first Masters 1000. It's just amazing. I always like this tournament. I have played it quite a few times and always thought this can be maybe one of the first ones, and it is the first one,” Dimitrov said.
This season, Dimitrov started the year nearly perfectly on hard courts, going 16-1 en route to the Australian Open semi-finals and titles in Brisbane and Sofia. The right-hander struggled to get going on clay and grass.
But back on hard courts during the North American swing, Dimitrov has regained that early-season form and heads into the season's final Grand Slam tournament, the US Open, brimming with belief.
Dimitrov didn't drop a set all tournament and barely lost his serve, winning 52 of 53 service games. He became the first player to win his maiden Masters 1000 title without dropping a set since Novak Djokovic at 2007 Miami.
“Going to the Open, it's for sure a lot of positivity with it, but the most important thing now is just to stay grounded, keep on doing the same work, believe in myself, and just prepare the best way that I can for the Open,” Dimitrov said.
The Bulgarian showed how much the title meant to him after the match. After a long hug with Kyrgios, Dimitrov beamed at his coach Dani Vallverdu and walked over to him, sharing an emotional embrace with the man who has helped him turn around his career. They started working together about a year ago.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Grigor Dimitrov: The Simple Life
Dimitrov bolsters his position in the Emirates ATP Race To London, which determines the eight players who qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held 12-19 November at The O2 in London. Dimitrov has never played at the prestigious season-ending tournament but he's projected to rise to sixth in the Race.
See Who's Leading The Emirates ATP Race To London
Neither he nor Kyrgios had played in a Masters 1000 title match before Sunday, but Dimitrov was the calmer and more focused competitor throughout the final. The seventh seed erased both break points in the opener and seized his lone break opportunity, returning a 129 mph serve from Kyrgios that the Aussie then netted.
Dimitrov, who had found ways to prevail past the big-hitting Juan Martin del Potro and John Isner earlier in the week, used his backhand slice and speed to stymie Kyrgios, who finished with 31 unforced errors compared to 21 winners.
Dimitrov tracked down the Aussie's big forehands and well-directed backhands. He also fended off break points and was clutch during his break opportunities, going two for four against the big-serving Aussie.
“It came down to a few points I could have done better than him, and I was just able to hold my nerves,” Dimitrov said.
In the second set, with Kyrgios serving at 5-6, Dimitrov broke during his first opportunity. He served out the set and match the next game. Dimitrov will receive 1,000 Emirates ATP Rankings points and $954,225 in prize money.
Kyrgios, who had struggled with hip and shoulder injuries during the past two months, enjoyed one of the best weeks of his career. He will receive 600 Emirates ATP Rankings points and $467,880 in prize money.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/dim ... 2017-final

[Barty]

Dla ciekawych, jak może typowy wyglądać dzień tenisisty poza sezonem.

[Damian]

[Robertinho]

#7) Cincinnati 2017


timesofindia

R1 wolny los
R2 Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 76(5) 64
R3 Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) 63 75
QF Yuichi Sugita (JPN) 62 61
SF [14] John Isner (USA) 76(4) 76(10)
W Nick Kyrgios (AUS) 63 75




Pierwszy tytuł M1000 Grigora!

[Barty]

[Lucas]

[Damian]

[Damian]

[Barty]

[Damian]

[Damian]

[Damian]

Dimitrov Beats Fellow Nitto ATP Finals Contender

Spoiler:

Bulgarian star plays former finalist Nadal on Friday
Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov further strengthened his bid for a place at the Nitto ATP Finals on Thursday by reaching the Shanghai Rolex Masters quarter-finals at the expense of American Sam Querrey, another contender for next month’s season finale.
Sixth seed Dimitrov recorded his 40th match win of a career-best year (40-16 overall) with a 6-3, 7-6(3) victory over No. 10 seed Querrey in 81 minutes at the Qi Zhong Stadium in Shanghai. He will next challenge top seed and 2009 finalist Rafael Nadal in Friday’s quarter-finals.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Nadal Extends Winning Streak, Beats Fognini
“Today was a pretty similar mindset [to yesterday’s win over Ryan Harrison], playing against a big server who uses the court a lot,” said Dimitrov. “Sam is an extremely trick player. The first game of the match, I was two break points down. I was thinking, ‘Wow!’ He was serving pretty good and controlling the baseline. For me it was finding that rhythm around the court and after the first set, I knew I had everything in my control. He still pushed me. When the tie-break started, I felt more in control of the rallies.”
Dimitrov is currently at No. 5 in the Emirates ATP Race To London with 3,455 points, and is now 270 points behind fourth-placed Austrian Dominic Thiem (3,725). Querrey remains at No. 11 with 2,525 points. Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Alexander Zverev have already clinched three of the eight berths at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 12-19 November.
The 26-year-old Dimitrov broke Querrey in the fourth game of the pair’s third FedEx ATP Head2Head series (3-0), but could not convert three set point opportunities on the American’s serve at 5-3. Querrey took a 2-0 lead in the second set, but was immediately pinned back and there were no further chances to break through to the tie-break.
Dimitrov has won three ATP World Tour titles in 2017 at the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp (d. Nishikori), Garanti Koza Sofia Open (d. Goffin) and the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati (d. Kyrgios).
Another player who is hoping to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, Croatia’s Marin Cilic, one spot behind Dimitrov in the Emirates ATP Race To London (3,355 points), moved into the last eight with a 7-6(1), 6-4 victory over American Steve Johnson in 88 minutes. Cilic lost just five of his first-service points (32/37) and is now 38-16 on the season, which he hopes ends in London next month.
Cilic, who has previously qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals in 2014 and 2016, will next face Albert Ramos-Vinolas of Spain, who overcame German Jan-Lennard Struff 7-6(4), 6-4 in 87 minutes.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/dim ... 7-thursday

[arti]

[Damian]

Dimitrov Moves Up In London Race, Reaches Stockholm Final

Spoiler:

Dimitrov advances to his third Stockholm final
Grigor Dimitrov continued his march toward a maiden Nitto ATP Finals appearance with a 6-3, 7-6(2) victory over sixth seed Fabio Fognini on Saturday to advance to the Intrum Stockholm Open final.
By advancing to his third final in Stockholm (1-1), the 2013 champion moved into fifth place in the Emirates ATP Race To London with 3,560 points, climbing past Marin Cilic, who is now in sixth with 3,535 points.
The seven-time ATP World Tour titlist has reached three finals this season, and gone on to capture the trophy at each event (Brisbane, Sofia, Cincinnati).
Dimitrov did not have it easy against Fognini, though. The flashy Fognini made it clear from the first ball that he wanted to control the pace of play from the baseline, being especially aggressive on the forehand side.
That cost him dearly in the fourth game of the opening set as after a quick start — he earned two break points in the third game — Fognini conceded serve with a loose service game that he lost with a wild forehand into the net.
After Dimitrov held to close out the opener, dropping just one point on serve, he looked to be in complete control when he broke to begin the second set with a running forehand from deep behind the baseline to which Fognini responded with a drop shot into the net.
But the Italian began to cut down on his mistakes to battle back into the match, breaking back and then moving ahead a break himself with a 4-2 lead. But Dimitrov hit a tremendous backhand down the line winner to get back on serve and would not slip up again, closing it out in straight sets.
The Bulgarian extended his FedEx ATP Head2Head series advantage over the Italian to 4-2, winning for the fourth time in their past five matches. It was the end of a week of valiant efforts for Fognini, who saved one match point against Elias Ymer in the second round, and two match points on Friday against third seed Jack Sock in the quarter-finals.
The 26-year-old Dimitrov will face the winner in the day’s second semi-final between defending champion Juan Martin del Potro and Fernando Verdasco.
Dimitrov, who will be competing in his 13th final, has played del Potro three times this year, winning both matches on hard court, including a 7-6(6), 7-5 triumph over the Argentine at the China Open earlier this month.
However, del Potro leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 5-2, and defeated his fellow right-hander in the Stockholm semi-finals last year en route to the title. Dimitrov has not played Verdasco since a three-set win at the 2015 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, but he owns a 2-1 FedEx ATP Head2Head advantage.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/dim ... 7-saturday

[DUN I LOVE]

W Sztokholmie Grisza wygrał swój 250. zawodowy mecz.

[DUN I LOVE]

Finał w Sztokholmie.

Grigor przegrał dziś swój pierwszy zawodowy finał od ponad roku (2016 Pekin - porażka do Murray), przerywając serię 3 wygranych meczów o tytuł.

Grigor Dimitrov - przegrane finał (7):
2017 (1) Sztokholm
2016 (3) Pekin, Stambuł, Sydney
2014 (1) Sztokholm
2013 (1) Brisbane

Bułgar jest 7-6 finałach ATP, 1-2 w Sztokholmie.