Grigor Dimitrov Stuns Carlos Alcaraz in Miami Open 2024 Quarters: Rybakina Secures Final Spot

In the Miami Open quarterfinals, eleventh-seeded Grigor Dimitrov overcame top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday night, winning 6-2, 6-4 to record his first win over a top-five opponent in almost five years.

Friday’s semifinal match will pit fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev against unseeded Fabian Marozsan 6-3, 7-5. In the other semifinal, second-seeded Jannik Sinner will take on Daniil Medvedev, ranked third, in a replay of last year’s final, which Medvedev prevailed in.

The 2022 champion, Alcaraz, came into this competition fresh off an Indian Wells triumph over Medvedev. However, the second-ranked player in the world struggled to find his game against Dimitrov and showed signs of frustration multiple times during the opening set.

But even after trailing 4–2 in the second set, Alcaraz remained persistent. After breaking Dimitrov at love, he held serve to tie the match at four. However, Dimitrov went on to win the next two games, breaking Alcaraz in the decisive match.

After defeating Roger Federer, who was ranked third at the time, in the 2019 U.S. Open quarterfinals, Dimitrov’s victory over a player ranked in the top five occurred today.

Also Read: The Future of Men’s Tennis: Alcaraz and Sinner Ready to Dominate

Also Read: Iga Swiatek’s Dominant Win at Indian Wells Final 2024

Elena Rybakina Reaches Final

In the women’s tournament, No. 27 Victoria Azarenka was defeated 6-4, 0-6, 7-6 (2) by fourth-seeded Elena Rybakina, who once again had to go three sets to advance.

In the championship match on Saturday, fourth-seeded Rybakina of the WTA Tour will take on either Danielle Collins, the underdog, or No. 14 Ekaterina Alexandrova. While in the final last year, Rybakina was defeated by Petra Kvitova in straight sets.

“It’s very different this year,” Rybakina remarked. “To be honest, I wasn’t expecting to be in the final because I wasn’t prepared for this tournament very well. However, I’m really happy that I persevered through all of these matches and found myself in the final once more.”

Rybakina, who has been forced to three sets in all but one of her matches this tournament, will probably be happy to have the day off. She revealed to Tennis Channel that she had never taken a day off during a tournament before, having played a two-hour, thirty-three-minute match on Thursday.

“These lengthy matches were initially helping me to get back in shape,” Rybakina remarked. “Despite how I perform in the championship, it was a really successful tournament overall. I’m just tired of these long matches, so I’m not in shape right now.”

When Rybakina broke Azarenka’s serve to take a 3-2 lead in the third set, it seemed as though she was taking charge. Rybakina won the match when Azarenka saved four break points and then blasted a two-handed backhand into the net.

Azarenka’s reaction in the second set was impressive as she only dropped two points on her serve, one of which was a double fault.

Azarenka, though, wasn’t done. Azarenka came back to tie the match at 5-5 in the final set, with Rybakina serving for the win. The match then went to a tiebreaker, which Rybakina won 6-1 after both players held service. She used a cross-court forehand to seal the victory.

This year, Rybakina, 24, is vying for her third title. With two wins this year, she has a 4-0 record versus Azarenka in her career.

The 34-year-old Azarenka was trying to become the oldest victor of the competition. Venus Williams, 36, made it to the semifinals in 2017, making her the second-oldest semifinalist overall.