Grigor Dimitrov claimed his lone Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati 2017. A year later, Novak Djokovic was among the favorites in Ohio, regaining his form and conquering Wimbledon. Novak and Grigor met in the Cincinnati third round, and the Serb dethroned the Bulgarian 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 in two hours and 19 minutes. It was Djokovic’s 30th victory of the season, overcoming a 6-2, 3-1 deficit and prevailing after two days to advance into the quarter-final. Grigor played well in the first part of the duel. He built a handful advantage before Novak returned to the scoreboard and remained on the title course, seeking the only Masters 1000 crown he was missing. Thus, Djokovic arranged the quarter-final duel versus Milos Raonic a few hours after beating Dimitrov.
Novak Djokovic beat Grigor Dimitrov in three sets in Cincinnati 2018.
Dimitrov served better but failed to materialize that. The Bulgarian claimed under 70% of the points behind his first serve, getting broken three times from five chances offered to the Serb. On the other hand, the Serb also lost serve three times. However, he played well in the deciding set, dropping six points in five service games and keeping the break he earned the previous night. The defending champion made a flying start and left the Wimbledon champion behind in the opening set. Grigor kept his service games intact and broke Novak in games three and seven for a commanding 6-2 lead.
The Bulgarian sealed the set in the eighth game with an ace after 29 minutes, hoping for more in the second. Things went from bad to worse for the former world no. 1. Novak suffered another break in the second set’s third game to find himself 6-2, 3-1 down, moving closer to the exit door. From then on, Djokovic shifted into a higher gear and rattled off the remaining five games to steal the set 6-3. He broke Grigor in games six and eight, earning momentum ahead of the decider. Djokovic clinched a break to forge the advantage before they stopped due to the rain, continuing the next day. Novak stayed in front in the remaining games, saving a break point in game eight and sealing the deal with a hold at 5-4 to reach the quarter-final.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login