Grigor
Dimitrov (No. 14) remains on a streak and defeats
Alexander Zverev (No. 6) 6-4,
6-7(4), 6-4 to advance to the final of the
Miami Open. The Bulgarian secured
another victory over a top-10 player, reaching the 20th final of his career and
the third in Masters 1000 events, while also ensuring his return to the top-10
for the first time since 2018.
In a match
with few margins for error from both players, Dimitrov was better in the
crucial points and secured his third consecutive victory against a top-10
opponent.
In the
first set, both players started strongly with their serves, although Dimitrov
gained a slight advantage. Zverev tallied 72% of service points and 21% on
return points, compared to Dimitrov's 79% and 28%, respectively. The first
break point came in the fifth game in favor of Zverev, but he couldn't convert
it.
Both
players held their service games without conceding more than a point, and
Dimitrov was leading 5-4 when he had his first break point of the match, which
he capitalized on to take an evenly contested set 6-4.
The second
set followed a similar pattern with neither player offering break opportunities
to their opponent. Zverev was slightly more consistent with his serve, winning
72% of service points, while Dimitrov won 64%. Dimitrov was more aggressive
with 19 winners and 7 unforced errors compared to Zverev's 12 winners and 3
unforced errors.
No break
points were played throughout the set, and it went to a tie-break, where Zverev
was more consistent with four mini-breaks, securing the set 7-6(4) on his third
set point.
The third
set was again decided by details, as Dimitrov saved a break point against him
in the fourth game but managed to hold on to maintain parity. In the seventh
game, Dimitrov seized the first opportunity, taking the decisive advantage.
The former
world No. 3 performed well with his serve and ultimately won the match 6-4,
6-7(4), 6-4 to reach his third Masters 1000 final, with his only title in the
category coming at the 2017 Cincinnati Open. In the final, he will face Jannik
Sinner (No. 3), who displayed a superb level and defeated Daniil Medvedev (No.
4) 6-1, 6-2.