Grigor Dimitrov reached the US Open quarter-finals for the first time since 2019 with a five-set victory over Andrey Rublev, whose angry outbursts threatened to mar an enthralling match in New York. Bulgaria's Dimitrov won the first two sets before surviving a comeback attempt from his Russian opponent to seal a 6-3 7-6 (7-3) 1-6 3-6 6-3 victory.
The ninth seed, who made the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows five years ago, will face Frances Tiafoe or Alexei Popyrin in the last eight. Victory is just reward for the 33-year-old's calm composure as Rublev's antics once again took centre stage in the early stages of the match.
Rublev's Temper Takes Center Stage
Andrey Rublev repeatedly lost his temper in the opening sets. Within just a handful of games, 26-year-old Rublev's frustrations had already started to boil over, the first signs of his brewing anger showing as Dimitrov broke for a 3-1 lead. In the following game, the sixth seed slammed his racquet against his shoes and drew blood from his own hand after an error before his opponent consolidated his break.
Rublev called the trainer on to see to the bleeding cut on his left hand at the change of ends and, still troubled by his self-inflicted injury, failed to convert three break points in the next game. And as Dimitrov served out the opening set, the Russian screamed at the ground, the crowd on Arthur Ashe Stadium stunned into silence by his latest outburst.
The second set looked to have brought a calmer Rublev. In the opening game, he had his back against the wall at three break points down but stayed focused as he fought back to hold. But after missing two break points of his own in the fourth game, he missed what should have been a sitter of a volley for the advantage and started furiously ranting, the sound amplified under the closed stadium roof.
Despite his irritation, Rublev was playing well and finally got the break he had been seeking for 5-3 as an error-strewn Dimitrov buckled under relentless pressure with multiple double faults. But Rublev was left laughing in disbelief at his own mistakes as he let slip a 30-0 lead when serving for the set and allowed his opponent the immediate break back.
More errors then creeped in in the tie-break, the Russian squandering a 3-1 lead as six successive points went Dimitrov's way to wrap up the set for the Bulgarian. It was at that point that Rublev's mentality seemed to switch, and in the third set, Dimitrov started to wilt and found himself a double break down as his much calmer opponent mounted his comeback attempt.
Dimitrov's Resilience Shines
Although Rublev's temper tantrums drew attention, Dimitrov's performance demonstrated his impressive resilience. “I was playing fairly good, I think, for the first two sets,” said Dimitrov in his on-court interview. “But for some reason my body was starting to lose its rhythm a little bit and he was not going to just give up the match. You know how he is. I just had to stay patient and I think today the biggest thing that helped me was my experience and [the crowd].”
Dimitrov's ability to raise his level under pressure proved crucial to his victory. He reeled off six straight points from 1/3 in the second-set tie-break to move into a two-set lead, while he also crucially held serve from 15/40 when serving at 4-2 in the decider. Although Rublev had dialled in on serve across sets three and four, during which he sent down 11 of his 21 aces, it was the Bulgarian who found a way to a victory that levelled the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series at 4-4.
And though Dimitrov put up more of a resistance in the fourth set, it quickly went the same way as Rublev forced a decider. The tables turned in the fifth set, however, as Dimitrov found another level. He sealed the deal by serving out the match to love, a Rublev backhand finding the net to give Dimitrov an eighth Grand Slam quarter-final berth.
A Resurgent Dimitrov
After notching his 450th tour-level win against Rublev, Dimitrov improved to 37-13 for the season. The 33-year-old, who lifted his first ATP Tour title since 2017 in Brisbane in January, has been a member of the Top 10 of the PIF ATP Rankings since April, having previously not featured since 2018. Dimitrov, whose good friend Serena Williams was watching from the stands inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, will hope to continue his strong year by reaching the US Open semi-finals for the first time.
The nine-time tour-level titlist, who reached his only previous quarter-final at Flushing Meadows in 2019, will take on home favourite Frances Tiafoe or Alexei Popyrin in the last eight. “I’m going to enjoy tonight. I’m trying to enjoy every single moment and I’m celebrating every day that I get to be out here,” said Dimitrov. “I’m just focusing on myself. I’ve had very tough weeks, with my body and everything. So I just want to focus on my rehab and the good things that I did today, things that I can improve, just keep it as basic as possible, and I’m thrilled to be through to the second week.”
A Climb Up the Rankings
With a number of his closest rivals in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin having already exited the draw at Flushing Meadows, Dimitrov has significantly boosted his Nitto ATP Finals qualification hopes by reaching his 11th Grand Slam quarter-final. The Bulgarian has risen three spots to 10th in the Live Race as a result of his run so far. He could rise as high as eighth by reaching the semi-finals. The question now is: can Dimitrov add a Grand Slam title challenge to his resurgent 2024?
