Carlos Alcaraz had the battle of his life in the Miami Open against Grigor Dimitrov. The young Spaniard fought with everything in his power, hoping to take down the Bulgarian player, but he proved to be too much for him. Winning half the breakpoints that came his way, Dimitrov will be the one moving on to the semifinal of the championship, astounding fans.
Dimitrov also proved to be a major handful in the last match of the two players. In the Shanghai Masters, the 32-year-old prevailed over the youngster in three sets but found it easier to stomp him in the Vice City.
The ‘solid’ play style of ‘god mode Dimitrov’ has brought the question – ‘What happened to Alcaraz?’
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The quarterfinal of the Miami Open served fans with a major surprise. Dimitrov triumphed over Alcaraz in amazing fashion. Throughout the clash, the Bulgarian player was the dominating force, but Alcaraz showed signs of a comeback as he won three consecutive games in the second set, breaking Dimitrov once. However, the Bulgarian player shut his comeback down and ended his hopes of a Sunshine Doubles.
One user said that Dimitrov was in Alcaraz’s head throughout the match and that it was obvious that he was playing great tennis.
He's definitely in Alcaraz's head. You can tell it. He's playing so solid tonight.
— Chad Daughtridge (@ChadDaught72567) March 29, 2024
One fan was wondering where the usual dominating Alcaraz had gone.
What happened to Alcaraz? Where did he go?
— Maddy keeping tuned (@maddyforcenow) March 29, 2024
A user claimed that Alcaraz was just as shocked as the tennis fans. As per them, Dimitrov was playing ‘god mode’ tennis and then mentioned a match of the Bulgarian star which was rife with terrible performances, contrasting it to his display today against Alcaraz.
Alcaraz is just as shocked as we are.
That was god mode Dimitrov
Remember when Dimitrov lost to #405 Kevin King in Atlanta 2019 and was 78 in the rankings. Had service yips/double fault issues/shoulder problems.
There were some really dark moments for the Bulgarian post 2017
— Vansh (@vanshv2k) March 29, 2024
One fan called him Dimitrov ‘Baby Federer’ and said that he played like prime Roger Federer.
Baby Federer giving peak Federer vibes 😬
— Sayan (@Tweets_by_Sayan) March 29, 2024
Another fan called him Baby Fed and said that his accomplishments did not live up to the hype but seeing him perform at such a level in his 30s was a good sight.
This is why so many called him Baby Fed. His accomplishments never came close to living up to the hype but nice to see him playing so well later in his career
— warnerj33 (@jwarner33) March 29, 2024
Dimitrov smiled after beating the young Spaniard and signing the camera. He is on a roll this year as he continues to astound fans and achieve new milestones. Well, on that note Alcaraz has already confessed earlier about handling Dimitrov in court.
“the slice a lot is going to be difficult” – Alcaraz opened up about his feelings before the match with Dimitrov
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After beating Lorenzo Musseti in the quarter-final of the Miami Masters, Alcaraz was asked about his preparation for dealing with Dimitrov. “Obviously against Dimitrov, the last match I played against him, I lost. It was in Shanghai. I know he’s a really talented player, really tough one. Here with the court, I feel that the slice a lot is going to be difficult for me. I know that. But, you know, I try to play my best game and try to get the victory,” he said.
Dimitrov ended his title drought when the 2024 season began. He started playing on the first day of the year and managed to beat Andy Murray in three sets, which proved to be his most difficult match in the entire tournament. He would go on to demolish all opponents in his sight in straight sets till he reached the final against Holger Rune.
He beat the Danish in the first set after a tiebreaker and then shut him down in the second set for the score to be 7-6, 6-4. Beating Rune helped him attain his first top-10 victory in 2024 and also helped him end his title drought of six years. He shed tears after the final and has now managed to beat seed 1 in Miami.
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Now, he will face Alexander Zverev, hoping to reach the final in Miami for the first time in his career.