Alexander Zverev and Grigor Dimitrov will be squaring off for the ninth time in their careers when they clash in the semifinals of the Miami Open on Friday.
Zverev is dominating the head-to-head series 7-1 and has won seven in a row at Dimitrov’s expense since the Bulgarian prevailed back in 2014 at the Swiss Indoors Basel. They faced each other a whopping four times in 2023, with Zverev prevailing at Roland Garros, the Cincinnati Masters, the U.S. Open, and the ATP 250 in ChengDu. Dimitrov took a set only once, and in that match–in New York–Zverev promptly dominated the last two sets 6-1, 6-1.
Can the 32-year-old somehow turn the tide? He may have to play the best tennis of his life, and that is exactly what he did on Thursday night during a 6-2, 6-4 upset of Carlos Alcaraz. Dimitrov preceded that shocking result with victories over Alejandro Tabilo, Yannick Hanfmann, and Hubert Hurkacz–the latter in a third-set tiebreaker.
Zverev is also in fine form, which is nothing new for him in Miami. The 2018 runner-up has advanced by beating Felix Auger-Aliassime, Chris Eubanks, Karen Khachanov, and Fabian Marozsan. Just two sets have been more competitive than 6-4 and Eubanks is the only opponent who has managed to force even a single tiebreaker.
“We have a limited time to celebrate, to get ready to prepare,” Dimitrov said after defeating Alcaraz. “Right now the most important thing is to prepare for the (semifinal) match. I’m not going to think from now what I can do. I think it’s just very important to stay in the moment. I think that’s what our game is about. I think that’s the beauty of our game, and it’s always the most simple things are the most difficult to do.”
As the world No. 12’s history against Zverev suggests, there will be nothing simple about Friday’s matchup. Dimitrov needs to play just as much offense as he did when Alcaraz was on the other side of the net, but that is difficult to do against Zverev–especially when the No. 4 seed is serving well.
Amazingly, Zverev has not served below 74 percent in any match throughout this fortnight. If that streak continues, he will likely be heading straight into the final.
Pick: Zverev in 2
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