Grigor Dimitrov continued his impressive run at the Rolex Shanghai Masters as he cruised past Nicolas Jarry to make the semi-finals of the ATP 1000 tournament.
The eighteenth seed fought through a closely contested first set before dominating the second to win 7-6 (2), 6-4. This came after the Bulgarian player scored his first-ever win against top seed Carlos Alcaraz in his Round of 16 match at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena.
Jarry previously led their head-to-head 2-0, but Dimitrov was likely brimming with confidence following his previous round, helping him to get a win on the board against the Chilean player.
The clash began with both players stubbornly holding their serve. There was a chance for Dimitrov to secure an early break while leading 3-2 on serve when Jarry's game went to a deuce. However, the 28-year-old was ultimately able to hold and the match continued as before.
Nevertheless, Dimitrov remained confident throughout, with his good movement across the court often coming to his aid against his opponent's powerful hitting. Eventually, a tiebreak was required to decide the first set. Dimitrov held the first point on serve before winning Jarry's first service point for a 2-0 lead.
Jarry struggled with unforced errors in the tie while Dimitrov continued to play tactically, building up four set points at 5-2 and successfully converting the first one after Jarry hit the ball into the net.
The second set started out similarly to the opener, with both players holding serve until 3-3. At this point, Dimitrov amassed two break points but Jarry pulled off an ace to save the first one.
The points ultimately went to a deuce where the twenty-second seed tried to secure a hold by forcing Dimitrov into a corner, but the 32-year-old had an answer for everything and Jarry ended up hitting the ball out, giving his opponent a crucial break.
From there, Dimitrov was able to stand firm until he could serve for the set. He secured two match points before Jarry hit the ball long on the return, thus meaning that Dimitrov booked his place in the ninth Masters 1000 semi-final of his career and his first of this season, where he will face the winner of the match between Ugo Humbert and Andrey Rublev.
32yo Grigor Dimitrov, a former top 3, beats Nicolas Jarry 7-6(2), 6-4 to reach the semifinals in Shanghai. Didn't face a break point... 9th career Masters 1000 semifinal, first since Monte Carlo 2022 and first ever in Shanghai. Having his best season since 2017.
