World No. 78 Dimitrov posts best US Open result

Since lifting the biggest trophy of his career at the 2017 ATP Finals in London, Grigor Dimitrov has been in a puzzling free fall. The Bulgarian was unable to maintain the form that propelled him inside the Top 3 and entered this year’s US Open ranked No. 78, far down the list of tournament contenders.

However, on Sunday, Dimitrov took another big step forward, advancing past Alex De Minaur, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4, to reach his first quarterfinal in Flushing Meadows.

Here’s a rundown of Dimitrov’s recent journey on the ATP tour.

1

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At the start of 2017, Dimitrov was in scintillating form. He defeated three Top-10 players to win the Brisbane crown, then contested his first Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open. He was edged out by Rafael Nadal in an enthralling five-set tussle but soon returned home to triumph in Sofia to the delight of local supporters.

2

Dimitrov picked up his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati, beating Nick Kyrgios in the final. A solid indoor swing, that saw him reach the semifinals in Beijing and final in Stockholm, culminated with his stellar week at The O2 Arena. There, he went 5-0 to raise the ATP Finals trophy, clinching a year-end ranking finish of No. 3.

3

The 28-year-old began 2018 with a 10-3 mark, returning to the last eight in Melbourne. His demise truly began after Roland Garros, as he managed to win back-to-back matches just once the rest of the season. An unfortunate draw saw him lose to a reinvigorated Novak Djokovic—the Wimbledon champion—in the third round of his Cincinnati title defense, and Dimitrov was sent packing by Stan Wawrinka in the opening round for the second successive major, in New York.

4

Dimitrov was still inside the Top 20 at the start of the 2019 season, but a right shoulder injury forced him to miss two months of action following a round of 16 showing at Melbourne Park. He would fall to Wawrinka yet again, in the third round of Roland Garros, in three tiebreakers.

5

He endured a low point at Wimbledon after being ousted by world No. 84 Corentin Moutet. But he truly hit rock bottom in Atlanta, where he was defeated by No. 405-ranked American qualifier Kevin King in his opener. Dimitrov entered the US Open with just one win in eight matches, having been knocked out by Wawrinka in the first round of both Montreal and Cincinnati.

6

Perhaps a little luck with the US Open draw was all Dimitrov needed. With Wawrinka in a different quarter, Dimitrov has reaped the benefits of a kind path into the second week. He beat veteran Andreas Seppi in four sets before receiving a walkover from No. 12 seed Borna Coric in the second round. His third-round opponent, Kamil Majchrzak, had never won a major main draw match prior to this week. De Minaur took out the Top 10 seed in his section, No. 7 Kei Nishikori, in the third round.

On Tuesday, the 28-year-old will take on 20-time major champion Roger Federer, who owns a 7-0 record in their head-to-head series.

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