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Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov rallied from a set and a double-break down to shock top seed Daniil Medvedev to reach the quarter-finals at the ATP Tour BNP Paribas Open here.
Dimitrov, the 23rd seed rolled back the years as he battled back from 4-6, 1-4 down to move past the Russian 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 and produced one of the comebacks of the season on Wednesday, reaching the quarter-finals in Indian Wells for the first time. After appearing in total control, Medvedev lost his way, making just 34 percent of his first serves in the second set as Dimitrov forced the World No. 2 into errors with his aggressive game. The Bulgarian won eight straight games and eventually advanced after two hours and 16 minutes. It is the first time Dimitrov has defeated a top-two opponent since 2016 when he overcame Andy Murray in Miami. The World No. 28 has now reduced his ATP Head2Head deficit with Medvedev to 2-3. Dimitrov will next face eighth seed Hubert Hurkacz after the Pole defeate' Russia's Aslan Karatsev 6-1, 6-3. With his victory, the eight-time tour-level champion is into the quarter-finals at an ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time this season. Dimitrov enjoyed a run to the last eight at the Australian Open in January, where he also beat a top-five player, then-World No. 3 Dominic Thiem. Fuelled by momentum, Dimitrov, who hit 25 winners in the match, did not let up as he continued to frustrate Medvedev in the decider. He continued to approach the net effectively and sealed his victory when Medvedev hit a forehand long. Medvedev had won 18 of his past 19 matches on North American soil, capturing his fourth Masters 1000 title in Toronto and his first major at the US Open. The Russian was aiming to reach the quarter-finals in Indian Wells for the first time. Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas too advanced to the quarter-finals, beating Alex de Minaur of Australia 6-7(3), 7-6(3), 6-2 in three hard-fought sets. In other matches, Argentina's Diego Schwartzman defeated Casper Ruud of Norway 6-3, 6-3; Hubert Hurkacz of Poland beat Aslan Karatsev of Russia 6-1, 6-3, Taylor Fritz beat Jannik Sinner of Italy 6-4. 6-2; Nikoloz Basilashvili beat Russia's Karen Khachanov 64, 7-6(6). --IANS bsk ( 387 Words) 2021-10-14-10:04:01 (IANS)
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