Determined Dimitrov battles past Musetti to secure Vienna Open round of 16 spot

Grigor Dimitrov defeated Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the round of 16 at the ATP 500 Vienna Open.

The 32-year-old Bulgarian continued his strong form of the past few weeks and secured another victory against a tough opponent. Over the last month, starting with the beginning of the Asian swing, Dimitrov has notched up 9 wins and 3 losses, some of them against top-ranked players like Holger Rune, Karen Khachanov, Nicolas Jarry, and the world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz.

This time, his opponent was Lorenzo Musetti, who suffered his third consecutive defeat and has only one tournament left to close out the 2023 season.

The match was closely contested from the outset, with both players holding their serves well. The first break came in the fourth game, allowing Dimitrov to take a 3-1 lead. While Musetti tried to break his opponent's serve, he had only one break point in his favor in the set, which he couldn't capitalize on.

On the other hand, Dimitrov was solid and composed in crucial points, with a 71% first serve percentage and a 71% win rate on first-serve points. He also won 60% of the points played on his second serve. Musetti, in contrast, had a 67% first serve percentage and won 67% of those points, along with a 56% win rate on second-serve points.

Dimitrov took the first set 6-3 and began the second set with the same level of serving strength, not giving his opponent any break point opportunities throughout the set. He also improved his return game, forcing Musetti to play long service games and face five break points in the set.

Dimitrov's persistence paid off in the ninth game, where he capitalized on his opportunity at the most crucial moment and secured a break to go up 5-4. He didn't feel the pressure on his serve and ultimately clinched the victory on his first match point, winning the second set 6-4.

In the round of 16, Dimitrov awaits the winner of the match between top seed Daniil Medvedev and the young French player Arthur Fils.