Grigor Dimitrov is on a roll, making it to the last 8 of the US Open 2024. The Bulgarian star beat Andrey Rublev in a 5-set thriller, 6-3, 7-6, 1-6, 3-6, 6-3, on Sunday afternoon at the Arthur Ashe Stadium and he will remember the win for more than one reason.
The first milestone Dimitrov achieved is that he made it to the quarterfinals of the US Open for the first time in 5 years. The last time he did so was in 2019. In that tournament, he lost in the semifinals to Daniil Medvedev, a player who he could meet again this year.
At 33, Dimitrov is still going strong and is now the oldest player remaining in the men’s singles event. Even though veterans such as Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka and Gael Monfils have been knocked out, this is a huge achievement.
33 YEARS YOUNG.
Grigor Dimitrov makes the US Open quarterfinals for just the second time in his career! pic.twitter.com/EXOADEZpm2
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 1, 2024
The former World No.3’s third milestone is that it was his 300th hard-court win of a decorated career. It is also worth noting that Dimitrov became the first player born in the 1990s to accomplish this impressive feat. It was also his 450th win on the ATP Tour.
Grigor Dimitrov with a win over Rublev will notch his 450th tour-level victory and become the first player born in the 90s to secure 300 hard-court wins. #USOpen #Dimitrov #usopen #usopen2024 pic.twitter.com/wcmFcBe0Ir
— TennisTime (@Tennistimechat) September 1, 2024
This is only the second time that Dimitrov has advanced to the US Open quarterfinals despite playing the tournament 14 times in a row. The 9th seed will face the winner of the Frances Tiafoe-Alexei Popyrin clash in the quarterfinals.
Against either of the two, the European star will be the favorite to emerge victorious. Considering the form Dimitrov has been in over the past week and the early exits of the likes of Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, this seems to his best chance to win the first-ever Grand Slam of his career.
