TENNIS ATP BASEL – Grigor Dimitrov sets up a quarter final match against Roger Federer in the Swiss’ hometown of Basel. The Bulgarian defeated Vasek Pospisil 6-2, 6-2 in just over an hour of play. From Basel Andreen Soley
Grigor Dimitrov had an easier time of it today as he took out Vasek Pospisil, 6-2, 6-2 in just over an hour. At the start of the match, it looked as if Dimitrov was going to have another slow start as he did against Alexander Zverev yesterday as Pospisil took him to deuce within the second game. But a strong first serve and a forehand error by Pospisil saw Dimitrov get the hold. In the third game, Dimitrov broke to go up 2-1 and it was smooth sailing from there on in as he again broke in the 8th game to take the set, 6-2.
One would expect Pospisil to regroup and put up more resistance in the second set but it was more of the same as he immediately surrendered two breakpoints in the 3rd game. He saved one with a forehand volley winner off a drop-shot that Dimitrov managed to run down but couldn’t save the second as his forehand clipped the net and sailed long. It was all but over at the one hour mark when Pospisil served a double fault to give Dimitrov the chance at a second break at 2-4. Pospisil would hit a forehand winner to bring the game to deuce but immediately served another double fault to give Dimitrov another breakpoint. This time, Pospisil could not save it and another errant forehand gave Dimitrov the second break. It looked as if Pospisil would prolong the match a bit longer as he quickly got to love-30 as Dimitrov was serving for the match at 5-2. However, Dimitrov didn’t give Pospisil the chance to delay the match any further as he quickly held to 30 as another Pospisil forehand sailed long.
In their first ATP World Tour meeting, Pospisil gave Dimitrov very little to worry about which must be a disappointment as he hit 29 aces and saved all breakpoints he faced versus Jarkko Nieminen in the 2nd round on Thursday. Last year, he pushed Roger Federer to three sets in a scintillating semifinal that lasted 2 hours and 40 minutes. In that match, it was Pospisil’s forehand that so effectively dictated play and almost eliminated the 5-time Basel champion. This time around, Pospisil would get no help on his forehand side as he bled errors left and right and failed to generate a single breakpoint chance the entire match. Afterwards, Dimitrov admitted that he wanted to “play good tennis today, better than yesterday. It took me a while to adjust to the surface and the balls.”
Dimitrov is not quite ready to celebrate his win as yet because as he says, the “real test is going to be tomorrow.” This win sets up another exciting encounter between Grigor Dimitrov and Roger Federer who met for the first time last year in Basel in the quarters. In that meeting, Federer won in straight sets, saving nine of ten breakpoint chances. Grigor wants “to see what I’ve learned and just unfold my game in a different way… I want to be out there and play my game. I am going out there to win, so there’s nothing less for me.”
Roger Federer and Grigor Dimitrov are scheduled to play not before 8 PM local time.
