"I'm still here": Grigor Dimitrov topples Carlos Alcaraz for first time in Shanghai
Continuing to apply pressure, the Bulgarian was rewarded with a 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 victory in the fourth round of the Masters 1000 event Wednesday.
Coming into Wednesday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, Grigor Dimitrov hadn’t won a set against Carlos Alcaraz in their three prior meetings.
The trend continued when the world No. 2 won the opening set from 3-5 down, but Dimitrov didn't let the disappointment sink in. The Bulgarian recovered for a 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 victory to reach his first Masters 1000 quarterfinal of the season.
“I’m still here, I’m not going anywhere,” a smiling Dimitrov told the World Feed after his victory was framed as a statement performance.
“I knew I had to apply constant pressure against him, even if I was down, even if my shots were not good enough. I had to keep on putting him in uncomfortable positions. I kept on using every opportunity I had.”
In the decisive set, Dimitrov broke in the third game when Alcaraz came in off his serve and pushed a backhand volley well long. The top seed would not see an opportunity to break back the rest of the way, as Dimitrov began all of his remaining service games with 40-0 or 40-15 advantages.
On his second match point, the No. 18 seed shut the door with a winning overhead to prevail after two hours and 10 minutes. Both competitors finished with 26 winners but Dimitrov was slightly cleaner in making 26 unforced errors to Alcaraz’s 31.
“I stayed in the match. I think that was the first thing, especially after that first set. 5-4, I was serving very well throughout the whole set. I pushed him to a lot of errors in certain moments, but I don’t know what happened to him at 5-4. He played an amazing game, 5-5, 6-5, and then another amazing game,” Dimitrov assessed in his World Feed interview.
“I was creating a lot of opportunities and I kept on believing that I’m gonna get another one and another one. I think after that second break in the second set, I finally started to improve and understand a little bit more of his service games. I was able to read the game a little bit better. The third set was a little bit cat and mouse, to be honest.”
Said Alcaraz in press following the loss, “It was a little bit surprise for me as well, the way that he started the second set, after, let's say, a tough first set for him.
“He kept really well, that level, that intensity, during the second set and the third set. He didn't let me put my game on the mat.”
Dimitrov has now secured Top 5 victories in back-to-back tournaments. At Beijing’s China Open, he took down fourth-ranked Holger Rune on his way to the last eight there. The 32-year-old is aiming to end a title drought dating back to his triumph at the 2017 ATP Finals.
As for Alcaraz, he failed to get to the semifinal stage for just the third time in 15 tournament appearances this year. The loss keeps him 500 points behind Novak Djokovic in the race for year-end No. 1.
For a spot in the semifinals, Dimitrov will meet 22nd-seeded Nicolas Jarry. The Chilean ended the hopes of wild card Diego Schwartzman, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3, in sealing his best showing to date on the 1000 stage.