Video: Dimitrov Rifles a Majestic Tweener to Gain the Advantage vs. Copil in Madrid

News

Scores

Rankings

Lucky Letcord Podcast

Shop

Pro Gear

Pickleball

Gear Sale

Popular This Week

Wozniacki: Pregnant Pause on Playing Career

Report: Carlos Moya to Coach Jannik Sinner Starting ...

Dusan Vemic to Coach Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros

Musetti's Family Is Set to Grow!

RG Qualifying, Day 1: Andreescu Double Bagel, Fognin...

US Open Announces Ashe Stadium Renovation

WTA Rankings: Swiatek Drops Out of Top 4 Ahead of Ro...

Video: Dimitrov Rifles a Majestic Tweener to Gain the Advantage vs. Copil in Madrid

Grigor Dimitrov had a very close call in his second-round encounter with Romanian wild card Marius Copil at the Mutua Madrid Open on Wednesday, but thanks to transcendent shotmaking like this, the 22-year-old World No. 14 gained safe passage into the third round, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(7).

Video: Fabio Fognini's Latest and Greatest Confrontation

Watch how smoothly Dimitrov reacts after getting caught in no-man's land with a Copil lob sailing over his head. He hits the brakes, retreats, takes a few giant steps (that's a jazz reference for all you John Coltrane fans) and rifles a tweener into the far corner of the court.

Just like that Dimitrov has taken the advantage in the point. All Copil could do was loft a defensive lob that the Bulgarian easily picked off with a swing volley to force the error to gain a much-needed love hold. Dimitrov would not surrender a break the rest of the way, and when the chips were down in the third-set tiebreaker, the youngest player in the ATP's top 20 drew on his experience to outplay the gritty Romanian on the biggest of points.

In what ended up being one of the matches of the day—if not the match of the day—Dimitrov (human highlight film that he his) gets high marks for this perfectly executed tweener.

Dimitrov will face Tomas Berdych in the third round at Madrid.

Posted: