By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, October 13, 2023
Grigor Dimitrov defeated Nicolas Jarry 7-6(2), 6-4 advancing to his ninth career Masters 1000 semifinal at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.
Photo credit: Rolex Shanghai Masters Facebook
Grigor Dimitrov continues his renaissance run in Shanghai.
A determined Dimitrov defeated Nicolas Jarry 7-6(2), 6-4 advancing to his ninth career Masters 1000 semifinal at the Rolex Shanghai Masters today.
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Playing clean combinations, Dimitrov committed only three unforced errors in his first career win over Jarry. Dimitrov advanced to his fifth semifinal of the season, including his fourth on hard courts.
"Receiving the serve—I think that was the key," Dimitrov said. "I mean, he's been one of the, I think, for one of the most difficult guys to read the serve. I think today was no different. Also, in moments like today, I had to stay very calm and collected throughout the whole match.
"I used every opportunity I had. He's a very tricky player as well, you don't get many rallies. Yeah, you need to kind of fight through a little bit more to create those opportunities. I was able to be very solid and make things happen for me today."
It is Dimitrov's first Masters 1000 semifinal since the 2022 Monte-Carlo and propels him into Saturday's semifinals against Andrey Rublev.
A sharp Rublev converted five of 10 break point chances shredding French left-hander Ugo Humbert 6-2, 6-3 in 90 minutes.
The seventh-ranked Rublev has split six career meetings with Dimitrov—all on hard courts—with the Bulgarian prevailing in their last encounter 6-3, 6-4 in the Vienna round of 16.
The semifinal pits Dimitrov's all-court acumen against Rublev's raw jolting power, particularly off his massive forehand wing.
"I think Andrey is, for me, the player who's been so, so consistent throughout, I mean, year-in and year-out," Dimitrov said. "Amazing guy, amazing player, not much to say on that end.
"You know what's going to happen. You know he's going to compete, you know he's going to hit everything that comes his way. I mean, overall, tremendous guy. I think I don't have enough words for him to describe on him."
The oldest man still standing in the field, the 32-year-old Dimitrov has delivered some of his most dynamic serving of the season in Shanghai.
One round after Dimitrov derailed world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 in a roaring comeback, he snuffed out any Jarry uprising on serve, avenging his 7-6(1), 6-1 loss to the powerful Chilean in the Geneva final earlier this year.
Dimitrov served 68 percent, drilled 11 aces, won 38 of 42 first-serve points and did not face a break point in a 99-minute victory that was his first win over Jarry in three career meetings.
Delivering unsettling variety, Dimitrov dabbed low slice backhands with some crackling topspin drives repeatedly forcing the 6'6" Chilean to dig out ankle-high balls.
The 18th-seeded Dimitrov burst out to a 5-1 lead in the tiebreaker before closing it for a one set lead.
Jarry denied a break point to start the second set.
Dimitrov's smooth movement around the court and willingness to attack when stretching the Chilean helped him carve out the lone break of the match for a 4-3 second-set lead.
A fierce Dimitrov won eight of the last nine points played on his serve, improving to 35-18 on the season.
"It's a very furious competition out there, you just never know how any match will go," Dimitrov said. "You might have beaten a player four, five times, or you might have lost, four, five times, but you know that there's always going to be an opportunity. I think there's so many opportunities you can miss overall, but there's also so much forward, to look forward to in any opportunity that comes ahead.
"I never want to settle and play small, I just want to play big, and if I lose big or win big, it's the same thing for me. I just want to make sure that I give everything that I have for myself to put myself in this position and try my best."