Dimitrov overcomes Tsitsipas to reach Paris Masters final
PARIS (AP) — Six years later, Grigor Dimitrov is back in a Masters 1000 tournament final.
The Bulgarian overcame strong resistance Saturday from seventh-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas with a 6-3, 6-7 (1), 7-6 (3) victory to reach the final of the Paris Masters.
Dimitrov served well, hit 38 winners and was flawless at the net.
He made the most of Tsitsipas’ poor start to claim the first set before his Greek rival saved two break points at 4-4 in the second set and started a comeback.
Dimitrov made several mistakes in the tiebreaker as Tsitsipas forced a decider, gesturing toward the crowd to ask for support.
Tsitsipas, however, could not convert four break point chances in the third game. Dimitrov rose to the occasion in the final tiebreaker when he hit three superb passing shots, including one to seal the match.
Dimitrov is chasing his first tour-level tournament since 2017, when he won the ATP Finals. He reached his only previous Masters 1000 final the same year in Cincinnati.
He will be up against either top-ranked Novak Djokovic or Andrey Rublev in Sunday’s final.
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis