Grigor Dimitrov got a major break at the US Open. The veteran reached the main draw without even playing his final qualifying match after his opponent withdrew at the last minute, handing Dimitrov a free pass into the tournament.
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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.
Dimitrov had performed well the last time he played at the US Open. He reached the quarterfinals after defeating players like Tallon Griekspoor and Andrey Rublev. But body fatigue and physical issues would be too much to handle for Dimitrov against Frances Tiafoe, and he retired mid-match while trailing 6-3, 6-7, 6-3, 4-1.
It hasn’t been a great American swing for Dimitrov so far. After not playing at the Citi Open and Canadian Open, he suffered a first-round exit at the Cincinnati Masters against Sebastian Baez. So, there weren’t many expectations from him as he arrived in the qualifying rounds of the US Open.
But Dimitrov delivered big time in the first two rounds. He didn’t drop a single set in either of the matches, and his performance was great. Having had a decent run at Wimbledon earlier this year and reaching the Round of 16, Dimitrov will be aiming to impress at Flushing Meadows as well.
As he has reached the main draw through qualifying, Dimitrov’s opponent for the first round is yet to be decided. The qualifying matches are yet to conclude, so many spots are still up for grabs in the main draw. Dimitrov can very well be accompanied by another veteran in the main draw who is set to retire at the end of the season.
Kei Nishikori is on the verge of reaching the US Open’s main draw
Like Dimitrov, Kei Nishikori has also been brilliant with his performance in the first two qualifying rounds. He first racked up a hard-fought 6-1, 2-6, 6-2 win against Sebastian Ofner. The result was expected to have drained the Japanese as the match went down to the wire.
But he came up with an even better performance in the second round. Nishikori defeated Michael Antonius 6-4, 6-4 to reach one step closer to the main draw. He is now set to take on his compatriot Rei Sakamoto in the final qualifying round.
The two have never faced each other in a tour-level match before. So, no one really knows what to expect from the match, but Nishikori will definitely want to play the US Open for one final time in his career. By doing that, he will be able to bid a proper farewell to the tournament, where he reached the final in 2014.
Having previously been eliminated in the qualifying rounds of both the Canadian and Cincinnati Opens, Nishikori now has a chance to end his US swing on a positive note. It remains to be seen if he will manage to get past Sakamoto and qualify for the US Open’s main draw.