Top Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov secured a spot in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros for the first time in his career after defeating world number 8 Hubert Hurkacz with a decisive 7:6(5), 6:4, 7:6(3) victory that lasted two hours and 51 minutes on the “Suzanne-Lenglen” court. Dimitrov’s triumph over the Pole marked his sixth consecutive win against Hurkacz.
In a post-match interview on the court, Dimitrov reflected on the challenging nature of facing a close friend in a competitive match. “It’s very difficult to play against such a good friend. We’ve known each other for a few years now. We train together often, and we’ve had a lot of moments between us. I expected it to be a tough match, but I knew I had to fight a lot,” Dimitrov expressed, as quoted by BNT. He also expressed his long-standing ambition to advance to the later stages of Roland Garros, stating, “I always wanted to reach the second week of Roland Garros, as it was the only Grand Slam tournament where I felt like something was missing. But today, 15 years later, I did it and I’m very happy about that fact.”
Despite facing challenges during the match, including multiple falls on the court, Dimitrov remained resilient. At one point, he injured his hand while executing a volley, leading to blood covering the grip of his racket. “I was so focused on the match that I didn’t pay attention to it. It wasn’t until afterwards that I saw that the grip of my racquet was all covered in blood. I have no problem with that,” Dimitrov shared, as reported by BNR. He then reflected on the nostalgic aspect of the injury, likening it to his childhood memories of playing on different surfaces at home. “It actually brings me back to my childhood when I was playing on different surfaces at home. I have good memories from that period. I don’t even know when it happened. These are just wounds, I won’t have any problems for the next match.”
Dimitrov’s resilience and determination will be put to the test in his upcoming match as he prepares to face Italian Jannik Sinner in the Roland Garros quarterfinals scheduled for Tuesday.
Dimitrov at the French Open, ranking, and results in 2024
Currently the world no.10, Dimitrov achieved a composed 28-8 record in 2024. Grigor is playing at the French Open where he overcame the world no.87 Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4 6-3 6-4, the world no.43 Fabian Marozsan 6-0 6-3 6-4, the world no.104 Zizou Bergs 6-3 7-64 4-6 6-4 and the world no.8 Hubert Hurkacz 7-65 6-4 7-63.
Grigor Dimitrov will square off with the world no.2 Jannik Sinner in the quarter on Tuesday at 3:00 pm on Court PHILIPPE-CHATRIER. Their record is 3-1 for Sinner.
Dimitrov clinched 1 title in 2024 in Brisbane. Grigor reached the final in Marseille (Open 13 Provence) and in Miami (Miami Open).
Grigor won 9 titles in his career: 4 on hard courts, 1 on clay courts, 3 on indoor courts and 1 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
Grigor Dimitrov |
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