Winning his fourth round French Open clash against Hubert Hurkacz has brought Grigor Dimitrov into the class of some elite players. He is one of only a handful of active players to reach the quarterfinals of each of the four Grand Slam tournaments as well as every ATP Masters 1000 tournament.
This list is made up of Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Marin Cilic, Daniil Medvedev, Rafael Nadal, and now Grigor Dimitrov.
After 14 tournaments, for Dimitrov, the 15th is the charm. The world No. 10 isn’t looking to rest on his laurels but chase the ultimate prize. His fourth round win sets him up for a showdown with Jannik Sinner on Tuesday. Sinner defeated Corentin Moutet in four sets late on Sunday night in Paris, France,
How far will Dimitrov advance?
Dimitrov Withstands 20 Hurkacz Aces
Grigor Dimitrov’s clash with Hubert Hurkacz in the fourth round of the French Open was one for the history books. It was another record breaker after the Bulgarian’s 2nd round victory. The first and third sets needed tiebreaks to decide the winner.
Hurkacz has always been a big server. He’s known for producing a lot of aces per match and didn’t disappoint in this classic. The Polish top 10 player smashed 20 aces past Grigor Dimitrov across the three sets of the match.
The match was tight throughout. The four points Dimitrov won from aces were eclipsed by the four points he lost on double faults. Meanwhile, Hubert Hurkacz hit one double fault all match.
Grigor Dimitrov Wins 3rd Set Despite Injury
Across the three sets of this French Open tie, Hurkacz faced eight break points, saving six and falling to stave off two, while Grigor Dimitrov faced seven and also saved six. Five of the six break points Dimitrov saved came in the first set of their French Open encounter. Three of them were in the 11th game of the set.
In the third set, Dimitrov won his second break point of the match to lead 3-1 and looked set to seal the win from there. Hurkacz clawed back to force a tiebreak in the third set. It was also in the third set that the Bulgarian took a nasty fall that led to him receiving treatment on his hand.
Grigor Dimitrov was ferocious in his serves, winning 81 points, only conceding 33 of the points contested on his serve to the Polish star. He maintained that tenacity on the Pole’s serve, stealing 43 of the 120 points contested on the Hurkacz serve.
“15 Years Later, I Made It… I’m Very Happy”
These players have faced each other six times over the years in tour-level matches. This French Open win marked the sixth consecutive victory Grigor Dimitrov would earn over the Pole.
The clash between these top players lasted nine minutes shy of three hours. After the clash, in a post-match interview, the Bulgarian described his good friendship with Hubert Hurkacz, talking about how much practice they do together.
The Bulgarian also spoke about always having that desire to make that extra step in the French Open:
“I always wanted to get to that second week. Roland Garros was the only Slam where I felt that I could not get that extra step. But today, 15 years later, I made it, so I’m very happy with that… I think especially when you play on a clay-court here, you have to paint [a picture with your tennis].
“You need to have finesse and also be able to read the court a little bit. Clay courts are always very tricky, you never know what kind of conditions you are going to get. I like my chances, I like when I can use my body a lot and chase balls around the court. Use my slice, use my variety. At the same time, when the ball is there to be hit, I try to make the most out of it.”
Dimitrov has finally made it to the second week at Roland Garros.
About the Author
Ebenezer has been an avid writer for over a decade and a half. Within that period, he has garnered experience in various fields such as editing, graphics design, transcribing, sales, data analysis, and football management. He’s also the author of the mystery thriller novel “The Eye of Ra.” For more articles by Ebenezer Ugorji, click here and here!
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