Dimitrov re-lives his glory days with surprise Shanghai semi

Grigor Dimitrov went back to the future when he stood third in the world as the Bulgarian veteran booked the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters on Friday 7-6 (2), 6-4 over Nicolas Jarry.

The 32-year-old winner backed up his knockout this week of world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz as he sent his latest opponent packing to reach the final four in Shanghai on his seventh try.

Dimitrov, once hyped as “Baby Fed” when Roger Federer ruled tennis, scored his victory on the night when the retired Swiss icon returned to Shanghai for a celebration honouring his massive contribution to the game.

Dimitrov’s game was on fire in front of the past master, with the Bulgarian committing just three unforced errors in a victory lasting for just under one and three-quarter hours.

“I think there were many components going the right way today,” the winner said. “(Jarry) is one of the best servers right now. I’ve played him a couple of times (losing both) .

“In the most important moments, I was able to be just solid, nothing else.

“I don’t think I did anything crazy in those moments, I just kept on believing in my game, kept going after my shots.”

Dimitrov added: “You don’t get many opportunities against him, especially in the beginning. It’s very difficult because he doesn’t give you any rhythm…

“I was trying to apply pressure with the hope that he might make a few mistakes, and he did.”

Dimitrov is headed into his fifth semi-final of the season and stands 35-18; he won a Masters title in Cincinnati in 2017.

“I didn’t have much time to overthink it (beating Alcaraz in the previous round).

“I didn’t have much time to think about that but of course I take all the positives out of it because you need to feed off this every single round.

“I think so far things are good and I need to keep on going.”

Dimitrov will be competing in a semi-final at his seventh different Masters event when he takes on Andrey Rublev for a seventh time after his upcoming opponent booked his spot 6-2, 6-3 over France’s Ugo Humbert.

Main photo:- Grigor Dimitrov books a semi-final place in Shganghai masters – by Pete Staples/ATPTour.com