- Dimitrov comes from set down to win as top seeds fall in Shanghai
- Alcaraz admits to being second best on the day
- Djokovic looks to be favourite for ATP Finals
Grigor Dimitrov battled back to surprisingly beat top seed Carlos Alcaraz in three sets to reach the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters on Wednesday night.
Dimitrov looks for his first ATP title in over 6 years
The 18th seed won 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 against Alcaraz, and the Bulgarian now steps up his pursuit of his first ATP title since 2017.
The next opponent will be the 22nd seed Nicolas Jarry, after the Chilean defeated wild card player Diego Schwartzman, from Argentina, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3.
The first Shanghai Masters since the pandemic has opened up for Dimitrov after a number of top contenders have gone out.
5th seed Russian Andrey Rublev is the highest seeded player remaining in the tournament. World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is not in China but is preparing for the ATP finals, which will be decided in mid-November instead.
Alcaraz pegged back
World number two Carlos Alcaraz, chasing his seventh tour title of the season, but unusually collapsed after winning the first set. The 20-year-old Alcaraz took time to find his rhythm, but Dimitrov broke the Spaniard’s serve twice in the second set to level the set at 1-1. In the third, the players held their serve until 1-1 before Dimitrov broke to 2-1, a break he would hold the match out and win 6-4.
Alcaraz expressed his anger as the match slipped away from him. Dimitrov held his nerve and served out his first win over the Spaniard on his second match point.
Alcaraz, who had been the favourite to win the Shanghai Masters in Djokovic’s absence, admitted that, on the day, the best player emerged victorious.
Betting Implications: Alcaraz looks to find top form before ATP Finals
For Alcaraz, it is about trying to find his way back to the fine form he had last summer when he defeated Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final. The question is whether the Spaniard will get his game in order before the ATP finals, which start on November 12 in Turin? At the time of writing, the odds are not published however, it is likely that Novak Djokovic will be the favourite ahead of Alcaraz. Djokovic has benefited from being selective with the tournaments he targets in recent times. He elected not to play a grass tournament before Wimbledon, preferring to rest after Roland Garros before getting back into training. His performances this year seem to have vindicated his approach and he will probably be there or thereabouts in Turin.
