Brilliant Dimitrov edges out Tsitsipas in outstanding semi-final at Paris Masters

Grigor Dimitrov continued his dream week at the Rolex Paris Masters on Saturday as he beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-7 (1), 7-6 (3) to reach a Masters 1000 final for the second time in his career..

In a clash of the highest quality, Dimitrov played a near-flawless deciding-set tiebreak to set up a final against either world No 1 Novak Djokovic or Andrey Rublev of Russia. It’s the sixth time in the last eight years that an unseeded player has made the final in Paris.

“I cannot express anything right now,” an ecstatic Dimitrov said. “I’m just happy, honestly, that I could get through it in such a manner. It was tricky, I was 15-40 down in the third (at 1-1), I was thinking it cannot keep going like this, I had to get through.

“The whole match I felt like I was doing a lot of good thing. In the middle of second he picked up the game. It was getting trickier by the game but I just waited for the tiebreak.”

Dimitrov had lost six of their previous seven encounters and lost the last two in a deciding-set tiebreak but found his best tennis when he needed it to reach just his second Masters 1000 final.

“I played very good,” he said. “I kept on believing, staying focused making sure every time I had my racquet on the ball I was doing something with it. I got very emotional.”

Dimitrov makes fast start

Tsitsipas had won seven of their eight previous battles and looked so impressive in his previous rounds but he came out a little flat, his forehand misfiring, which allowed Dimitrov to settle.

The Bulgarian, by contrast, started like a train, breaking to love in the second game on his way to a 3-0 lead. The former world No 3, enjoying his best year since 2017, when he won the ATP Finals, held the advantage throughout, never allowing Tsitsipas a break point or a sniff of a break.

Tsitsipas hits back with superb tiebreak

But Tsitsipas was never going to just let this one go, the chance to reach a first Masters 1000 final of the year a carrot to keep him concentrated, focused on the task at hand.

A good hold of serve in the opening game of the set put him back on track, but Dimitrov was matching him, serving superblly, coming forward whenever he could and striking the ball brilliantly, especially on his backhand side.

Games continued to go with serve throughout the set, with neither man showing any break in focus, but once it got to the tiebreak, it was all Tsitsipas, the Greek ripping his way to a 6-0 lead and finishing it off 7-1 to level the match.

Dimitrov saves four break points early

The momentum was with Tsitsipas and the Greek looked like he would get an early break when he moved to 15-40 on the Dimitrov serve in the third game of the decider, his first break points in the entire match.

But Dimitrov came up with a massive backhand down the line to save the first and saved three more to stay ahead on serve.

Tsitsipas was untouchable on serve throughout the set, dropping just three points on serve as he took it to a final-set tiebreak.

The past two matches between the two men were both won in a deciding tiebreak, by Tsitsipas, but Dimitrov played a simply stunning tiebreak, ripping two incredible passes to move to 5-0. Tsitsipas saved one match point at 6-2 but Dimitrov was not to be stopped and he clinched victory on the next point.

Tsitsipas rues change of tactic

Tsitsipas said he had made a mistake by changing his serving routines at the beginning of the deciding-set tiebreak.

“Wrong choices in the tiebreak, for sure,” he told reporters. “I was serving so well at that point, and I decided to slow down my serve in the very beginning of the tiebreaker and come to the net, which was something I’m not used to do. It kind of felt right to do, but it’s one of those things I kind of regret doing today.

“It was definitely a point I could have won, including the next one. So two very lousy points which gave him, like, a massive lead there, and could have done better. I was not very prepared to just go for big shots. I slowed down. I tried to play a little bit conservative which didn’t work.”

But Tsitsipas said he still has plenty to look forward to this year .

“t is a positive week,” he said. “I like the way I played this week. “I won’t be blaming myself too much. I did well. My eyes are all to Turin, and I hope I can bring some of that game into the ATP Finals.”

You might also like this

In-form Tsitsipas: “I really don’t know what my very best level is”

tennis majors

Tsitsipas hails return of his father: “I had a long time where I felt unsure of what I was doing on the court”

tennis majors

Dimitrov battles past Hurkacz into Paris semi-finals, ends Hurkacz’s hopes of qualifying for ATP Finals

tennis majors