Grigor Dimitrov saved two match points at 5-6 30-40 and at 7-8 in the tie-break to battle past Malek Jaziri 7-5 3-6 7-6 (10-8) after 2 hours and 50 minutes and advanced to the quarter final at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell.
The 2017 ATP Nitto Finals champion took a re-match against Malek Jaziri, who won their most recent head-to-head match last February in Dubai.
Dimitrov will face either fifth seed and last year’s US Open semifinalist Pablo Carreno Busta or Adrian Mannarino.
Dimitrov had to dig deep when he rallied from 2-4 down. He won five of the next six games and sealed the first set on his fifth set point, when Jaziri hit his forehand into the net.
Jaziri took the initiative and broke twice in the first and ninth games to win the second set 6-3. The Tunisian player broke in the fourth game to race out to a 4-1 lead. Bulgarian reeled off three of the next four games to claw his way back to 4-5. After Jaziri took a medical time-out, Dimitrov went down 0-30 and saved one match point at 30-40, when Jaziri hit his backhand into the net.
Dimitrov built up a 6-4 in the tie-break. Jaziri drew level to 6-6 after a forehand winner from Jaziri and a forehand error from Dimitrov. The Bulgarian star hit a backhand wide on his third match point. Jaziri earned a second match point at 8-7 after a forehand error from Dimitrov. Jaziri hit a forehand wide at 8-7, before sealing the win, when Jaziri hit a forehand into the net.
Third seed Dominic Thiem and last year’s runner-up Dominic Thiem fended off five of the eight break points he faced to beat world number 146 Slovakian lucky-loser Jozef Kovalik 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 in one hour and 44 minutes.
Jozef Kovalik earned the break in the fifth game of the first set to take a 3-2 lead, when Thiem sent an easy forehand long. The 2017 Barcelona finalist bounced back by winning the next three games with a double break to take a 5-3 lead. Thiem broke back in the sixth game to draw level to 3-3 with a backhand cross court winner. Kovalik did not convert a break point in the seventh game and dropped his serve, when he sent a forehand wide. Thiem was broken for the second time, when he was serving for the set at 5-3. Both players held their next three service games to set up a tie-break. Thiem won four of the first five points of the tie-break to build up a 6-2 lead and sealed the first set on his fourth set point.
Kovalik dropped his first game in the opening game of the second set. Thiem fended off a break point in the second game. Kovalik failed to convert a break point in the fourth game.
The Austrian player converted his fourth break point in the first game of the second set and went up a double break at 15 in the fifth game with a forehand winner to race out to a 4-1 lead. Kovalik pulled one of the two breaks back in the sixth game at love, when Thiem made a forehand winner. The Austrian star broke for the third time in the eighth game of the second set on his fourth opportunity, when Kovalik made a backhand error.
Thiem served at only 48 % and dropped serve three times from the eight break points he faced during the match. He converted five of his twelve break points.
Thiem set up a very interesting quarter final match against Greek Next Gen rising star Stefanos Tsitsipas.
“I am really happy that I went through. It was not the best performance. I didn’t feel that great on court today, but still I still managed to win. I am proud that I did it in two sets especially”, said Thiem during the on-court interview after the match.
