It is safe to say that Grigor Dimitrov has luck on his side at the US Open. The veteran has entered the main draw of the Grand Slam after advancing through the qualifying rounds. He didn’t even have to play the last match, as his opponent pulled out at the last minute, automatically qualifying him for the main draw.
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Dimitrov was scheduled to play Otto Virtanen in the third and final round of qualifying on Thursday. But the latter had sustained a back injury yesterday, August 26, during his hard-fought 2-6, 7-6, 6-3 win over Jack Pinnington Jones. As a result, he wasn’t able to compete against Dimitrov. This is the first time that the 35-year-old has made it through the qualifiers at a Grand Slam this year.
Dimitrov began his campaign with a dominant 6-0, 6-3 triumph against Lorenzo Giustino. This was followed by a 7-6, 6-4 victory against Timofey Skatov in the second round. The walkover against Virtanen will help Dimitrov relax a little and have more time to prepare for the main draw.
This will be the Bulgarian’s first appearance in the tournament since 2024. He didn’t travel to New York last year because he was still recovering from the pectoral muscle injury. Dimitrov picked up this setback during his Round of 16 clash against Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon.
This is a developing story…