World No. 21 Karen Khachanov surged past eighth seed Grigor Dimitrov with a 6-2, 6-3 triumph after 68 minutes to progress into his fifth ATP Masters 1000 semifinal on Friday in Paris-Bercy.
Assessing his quarterfinal contest, he outlined: “I started sharp from the baseline and tried to put pressure from the beginning. I was able to break him in the first game and take the lead, and after that, I noticed that he wasn’t feeling 100 percent. But he wanted to play, and I respect that. Credit to him for that.”
Following a dominant showing, Khachanov cruised to take the opening set 6-2 in 30 minutes at the Accor Arena.
On the other side of the net, world No. 9 found an extra gear to keep his chances alive, making a good start to the second set.
However, the seven-time ATP titlist held his ground behind his serve while damaging his opponent with his lethal backhand, paving the way to convert a clinical break in the seventh game and earn a 4-3 lead.
The Miami Open finalist battled to recover, but Khachanov, who did not face a break point all match, proved too strong, finding breathing room to produce a double break in the ninth game, sentencing the set 6-3 and the match to emerge victorious.
The former world No. 8 finished with 13 winners to 12 unforced errors, winning 79 percent of the points on his first serve, converting 4 of 6 break point opportunities.
Meanwhile, the Bulgarian player hit 17 winners against 28 unforced errors.
Dimitrov, who is having an incredible season at age 33, back in the Top 10, showed signs of fatigue, struggling with his movement throughout the semifinal contest.
A late-night battle on Thursday had seen him fighting back from a set down to overcome French wild card Arthur Rinderknech in a grueling three-setter to reach his 20th Masters 1000 career quarterfinal.
The physical effort took a toll on the reigning Brisbane champion, who could not halt in-form Khachanov.
After a poor start to the season, the Moscow-born continued to strive to find his best tennis until recently, when he delivered inspired performances en route to claim the Almaty Open title.
With the wind in his sails, the 28-year-old went the distance and made it through the championship match in Vienna last week, eventually losing to Briton Jack Draper in straight sets.
On Saturday, he will face off against home hope Ugo Humbert; the 15th seed defeated Australian Jordan Thompson 6-2, 7-6(4) in one hour and 37 minutes on Center Court.
Moreover, the first Frenchman to reach the last four in Paris since 2017 stunned world No. 2 with a straight-set win on his way to the semifinals.
The 2018 Paris champion leads Humbert 1-0 in their series, having prevailed in their quarterfinal encounter at the Tokyo Olympics 2021.
Elsewhere, the 2022 Masters 1000 winner Holger Rune edged ninth seed Alex de Minaur 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 in a fierce matchup.
“He was putting so much up against me,” Rune commented after the world-class encounter.
“He was making every ball with quality, deep in the court, and the court is quite fast here. I had to adjust my game a little bit and it was a constant battle, but how I treated the last couple of games was very good. I went for it, and I got it. I am very happy.”
The 21-year-old set up a clash with world No. 3 Alexander Zverev for a place in the final.
“Sascha and I had a great match in Paris, where he took it in five,” the Dane added.
“I beat him one time, and he took me last time. He is one of the best players this year, so I will have to be very well prepared and physically recover and build on the level from this match.”
Playing his 31st Masters 1000 quarterfinal, Zverev ousted Greek player Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-5, 6-4 in one hour and 41 minutes, becoming the eighth player to reach 20 Masters 1000 semifinals in series history at tour level.