By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, October 21, 2016
2013 Stockholm champion Grigor Dimitrov will play wild card Juan Martin del Potro for a spot in the Stockholm Open final.
Photo credit: IF Stockholm Open
As the ATP season winds down to its final weeks, Juan Martin del Potro and Grigor Dimitrov are both pumping up their play.
The resurgent former Top 10 pair will square off for a spot in the Stockholm final tomorrow.
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In a towering quarterfinal, del Potro downsized 6'11" Ivo Karlovic, 6-3, 6-4, in a 71-minute victory that surprised the Olympic silver medalist.
“I was expecting a tie break in this match,” said del Potro after reaching his fourth semifinal of the season. “But I’m happy to get the rest for tomorrow when I play Grigor.”
The 2009 US Open champion played with efficiency and command earning his 26th victory of the season. Del Potro has not dropped serve in straight-sets wins over seventh-seeded John Isner, Nicolas Almagro and Karlovic.
Attacking Karlovic's softer backhand side, Del Potro punched a backhand volley winner to end the opening set. The Argentine wild card served 62 percent and won 20 of 24 points played on his serve in the opening set.
Though rallies were brief, the 6'6" Argentine's agility was on display in the second set.
Dashing to his right, del Potro curled a running forehand pass to break at love for a 4-3 second-set lead and never looked back.
Del Potro has a positive history against Dimitrov. The 63rd-ranked del Potro is 3-0 lifetime versus Dimitrov, winning six of the seven sets they've played, including a 6-4, 6-2, sweep on the grass of Stuttgart in June.
"I am trying to stay hard, mentally strong, but it's not easy in this part of the year," del Potro said. "Everybody gets tired. It's gonna be a semifinal tomorrow against a great player but I will try to show my best tennis tomorrow.
"I think (our last meetings) was in the past. Now I'm playing a different game. He's very smart and so fast from the baseline. It's gonna be an interesting match to watch. I think the crowd will like the play of the game."
In today's first quarterfinal, Dimitrov continued his mastery of Kevin Anderson, 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-2 to reach his seventh semifinal of the season.
Dimitrov served for the match at 5-3 in the second set, but could not close. Anderson pounced on that lapse, reeling off four consecutive games to force a final set.
The 2013 champion served 61 percent and saved four of six break points, but was not satisfied squandering the second-set lead.
"Very poor serving from me today, that's all I can say," Dimitrov told the If Stockholm Open website afterward. "When you have this kind of moments in the match it's just tough mentally. But I'm just proud of myself the way I came back in the third set. "I mean, there's not much else I can say. I felt I was striking the ball well, moving good... The only problem today was, as I said, the serve, I really struggled with the serve."
The second-seeded Bulgarian defeated Anderson for the sixth time in seven meetings.
"The match could have gone both ways especially when it's indoors, when you have such a big server," Dimitrov said. "So overall it's a good match for me, but I'm far from happy."
Jack Sock should be satisfied scoring a 6-4, 6-4 win over Gastao Elias. Dictating play with his massive forehand, Sock faced only two break points in the match.
Bouncing outside the doubles alley, Sock crunched a forehand return. Elias' rattled reply found the net as Sock scored the first break for 4-3.
Struggling through a sloppy three double-fault game, Sock dropped his racquet after a third double fault, clutched at his elbow then shook his right arm as if pained. Still, he hung tough through a trying game backing up the break for 5-3.
Sock served out the first set then broke to start the second.
Running around his backhand to crack his heavy topspin, Sock battered out another break in the fifth game. Elias saved a pair of break points but rattled his first double fault as Sock broke for 4-1.
Elias, who upset top-seeded Gael Monfils, yesterday, broke back then battled back from triple break point down to hold for 3-4.
The 23rd-ranked American wrapped up his first straight-sets win of the week in 94 minutes.
Sock stamped his spot in his second straight Stockholm semifinal, raising his 2016 record to 32-18.
The runner-up to Tomas Berdych last year, Sock will play fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev in the semifinals.
In an all-German quarterfinal, Zverev stopped 132nd-ranked qualifier Tobias Kamke, 6-3, 7-6 (5).
World No. 20 Zverev dismissed Sock, 6-4, 6-2, in Beijing earlier this month.