Dimitrov defeats Jarry to reach the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters

Grigor Dimitrov came through a testing encounter with Nicholas Jarry, beating the Chilean 7-6 (2), 6-4 to move into the last four of the Shanghai Masters at the Qi Zhong Stadium.

It is Dimitrov’s ninth Masters 1000 semi-final appearance, who has backed up a stellar win over Carlos Alcaraz in the previous round as his bid to win a first title since the ATP Tour Finals in 2017 gathers momentum.

In a season that has shown regular moments of the exceptional quality Dimitrov is renowned for, the Bulgarian once again displayed a clarity of thought and quality of shot-execution demonstrative of the tennis Dimitrov produced at the very peak of his powers.

He was given a tough examination from another player who is enjoying a standout season. Jarry put up yet another impressive fight in what has been a brilliant breakthrough year, testing the Bulgarian’s resolve throughout – especially in the first set.

The opener went to a tiebreak, with both neither player facing a break point. But it was Dimitrov’s greater experience that shone through, exerting extra pressure on the Chilean at a pivotal moment to comfortably win the breaker.

The second set was, again, tightly contested. But it was Dimitrov who was making inroads on his opponent’s serve. Having staved off four break point opportunities in the second set, Jarry’s serve was eventually broken in the seventh game as Dimitrov’s depth of return began to cause ever more problems.

That was enough for the world No 19, as he served out the rest of the set in commanding style to reach the ninth Masters 1000 semi-final of his career.

Dimitrov relieved to come through difficult Jarry test

It was a high-quality match, with both players hitting considerably more winners than unforced errors, something Dimitrov was quick to acknowledge in his on-court interview.

“For me, he [Jarry] is one of the best servers right now. I’ve played him a couple of times, and I feel that every time it gets tougher and tougher to return against him,” he said.

“I was just able to be solid. I don’t think I did anything crazy in those moments. All I did was kept believing in my game and going after my shots.

“You don’t get many opportunities against him. Especially at the beginning, it is very difficult because he doesn’t give you any rhythm.”

Another promising tournament run comes to an end for the big-serving Chilean, whose excellent season shows little sign of slowing down at the finish line.

Dimitrov, meanwhile, will face the winner of the match between Ugo Humbert and Andrey Rublev in the semi-final, as he bids to win the second Masters 1000 title of his career, having taken the title in Cincinnati in 2017.

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Shanghai Masters, other quarter-final results (Qi Zhong Stadium, hard, USD 8.800.000, most recent results first):

• Ugo Humbert vs. Andrey Rublev
• Sebastian Korda (26) beat Ben Shelton (19): 6-7 (10), 6-2, 7-6 (6)
• Hubert Hurkacz (16) beat Fabian Marozsan: 4-6, 6-1, 6-3