Dimitrov Routs Murray To End Bid For Back To Back Titles
Andy Murray’s bid for a second-straight Wimbledon title came to a screeching halt on Wednesday as the Scot was eliminated from the grass-court tournament in straight sets by Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov. The 11th-seeded Dimitrov moves into his first ever Grand Slam semifinal and has now won nine straight matches dating back to his title at the Aegon Championships two weeks ago.
The World Number 13 was in control all match and defeated the defending champion Murray 6-1, 7-6(4), 6-2. Murray had entered the match without losing a set in the tournament and on a 17-match winning streak at the All-England Club but was turned away by the streaking Dimitrov who booked the first men’s semifinal spot.
The 23-year old ripped 10 aces and was the more aggressive player all match long. He won 91 percent of the points at the net and was able to pick up five break points along the way. He jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the first set which set the tone as he wrapped up the opening frame in 25 minutes. After Murray forced a tiebreaker in the second set, Dimitrov stood firm to take the tiebreaker and a commanding two set lead.
“As soon as we started warming up I sensed his game wasn’t at his highest level and I was pretty confident and playing good tennis,” said Dimitrov. “The first set helped me get into a good rhythm. The second set tiebreak was a key moment for me. Coming into the third set I knew I had a lot of things under control.”
He did indeed have things under control as he broke Murray twice in the third set, eventually closing it out 6-2 to put an end to Murray’s tournament.
“I’m excited and happy I went through in straight sets,” added Dimitrov. “It’s never easy to play Andy, especially in front of his home crowd. I was pretty fortunate today.”
The Bulgarian now moves onto the final four where he will take on either top-seeded Novak Djokovic or 26th seeded Marin Cilic.
