Grigor Dimitrov Upsets Carlos Alcaraz in Miami Open Quarterfinals

In a stunning turn of events at the Miami Open, 11th seed Grigor Dimitrov pulled off a surprise victory over the favorite Carlos Alcaraz with a solid 6-2, 6-4 win in the quarterfinals stage.

This marked Dimitrov’s first triumph against a top-five player in nearly five years, with his last win over a top-five member being against Roger Federer back in the 2019 US Open quarterfinals.

Alcaraz, the defending Miami Open champion, came into the match riding high on confidence after defeating Medvedev in the Indian Wells final.

Despite Alcaraz staging a comeback to level the second set at 4-4 after trailing by a break, Dimitrov managed to clinch the crucial final games, breaking Alcaraz to close out the match.

In the upcoming semifinal clash, Dimitrov is set to face the fourth seed Alexander Zverev, who advanced by defeating Fabian Marozsan 6-3, 7-5 earlier in the day.

On the other side of the draw, the semifinal will feature a showdown between Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev, seeded second and third respectively, in a rematch of last year’s final which was won by Medvedev.

Over in the women’s singles, fourth seed Elena Rybakina secured her place in the final by overcoming Victoria Azarenka in a hard-fought semifinal match that ended 6-4, 0-6, 7-6 (2).

Rybakina, the world number four, will now square off against Danielle Collins in the championship match on Saturday.

Collins booked her spot in the final with a commanding 6-3, 6-2 victory over the 14th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, showcasing her prowess with five aces and flawless serving.

Rybakina, a finalist at the Miami Open last year, will look to go one step further and claim her third title of the year, having already notched up four three-set wins en route to the final.

In a grueling contest that lasted two hours and 33 minutes, Rybakina managed to break Azarenka’s serve to edge ahead 3-2 in the decisive third set after Azarenka had dropped just two points on her serve in the second set.

Despite Azarenka breaking back when Rybakina served for the match to level at 5-5, Rybakina eventually sealed the victory to extend her head-to-head record against Azarenka to 4-0.

Notably, Azarenka, aiming to become the oldest winner of the Miami Open at 34, fell short in her quest for the title.