Last year’s finalist, Grigor Dimitrov, earns a memorable comeback triumph over World No. 24 Francisco Cerundolo to reach back-to-back semifinals at the Miami Open presented by Itau on Wednesday.
World No. 15 Grigor Dimitrov left his soul on the court to notch a record 150th win at Masters 1000 events, a memorable 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(3) comeback triumph over 3-time ATP titlist Francisco Cerundolo after an edgy two hours and 48 minutes contest on Wednesday in Miami Gardens.
The second meeting at tour level between the 14th seed and the Argentine player unfolded into a dramatic contest in which the finest of margins separated the players at Hard Rock Stadium.
Competing in his 6th Masters 1000 quarterfinal, his third in four appearances at the tournament, Cerundolo opened the first set with a break.
Then, across a competitive second game, the 23rd seed fended off four breakpoints before the Bulgarian converted the break in his fifth attempt to level the score one game apiece and held to recover lost ground, earning a 2-1 advantage.
From there, the match went on serve; the seventh game saw an intense 16-shot rally, with Dimitrov digging deep to save a breakpoint and holding to stay ahead at 4-3.
A tight encounter continued to unfold on the Stadium court as the 2024 Miami Open runner-up improved his serving performance, holding at love to secure a 5-4 advantage.
Inching closer to the finish line, the former world number three built upon momentum, adding pressure over his opponent with his trademark backhand.
However, Cerundolo fought back, rallying from the baseline to hold his ground after saving five set points.
Back in front, Bulgaria’s No. 1 racquet took the 11th game with an ace.
Then, the 26-year-old found another gear to send the first set into a tiebreaker.
Dimitrov, who early on faced a mini-break deficit, recovered, generating seven set-point chances that the Buenos Aires native sharply fended off to step ahead 7-6(6), making the most of his first chance to seal the opener after 71 minutes.
Losing the opener took a toll on the former world number three, who showed signs of frustration and low energy early on the second set. But once a fighter, always a fighter, so the Haskovo-born kept pushing forward to pocket the second 6-4 in 37 minutes, forcing a decider.
For his part, Cerundolo made a fast start to the third set, and when he grabbed a 3-0 lead, the impression was it would be a one-way traffic end to a challenging matchup.
At that moment, the 33-year-old timing was nowhere to be found, lacking his high-quality serve while fatigue built on. First impressions tend to be deceiving, and such an elite player does not know the meaning of “giving up.”
As only the best in the sport know how to do it, he stood back on his feet, rising to the occasion by breaking on the way to even it at 3-3.
A dramatic 12th game saw Dimitrov navigating out of danger, fending off a break point to guarantee a tiebreak.
He was the most solid of the two; his tremendous effort and remarkable recovery received a well-earned ticket to the semifinals of the tournament’s 40th edition.
He hit 30 winners against 46 unforced errors compared to Cerundolo’s 31 and 43.
Moreover, he won 80 percent of the points on his first serve and 14 of 18 of his net approaches.
Next, Dimitrov will face either five-time champion Novak Djokovic or American Sebastian Korda.
