Carlos Alcaraz says he was made to really feel like a “13-year-old” by Grigor Dimitrov after being overwhelmed within the quarter-finals of the Miami Open.
Bulgarian Dimitrov received 6-2 6-4 to arrange a last-four assembly with Germany’s fourth seed Alexander Zverev.
“He performed superb tennis, nearly good,” mentioned prime seed Alcaraz, 20.
He was aiming to grow to be the primary man to win the ‘Sunshine Double’ – back-to-back titles at Indian Wells and Miami – since Roger Federer in 2017.
However eleventh seed Dimitrov upset the Spaniard and Alcaraz added: “I could not discover options. I could not discover a option to make him really feel uncomfortable on the courtroom. It was a terrific sport from his facet.
“It was loopy. I used to be speaking to my workforce, saying that I do not know what I’ve to do. I do not know his weak point. I do not know something.”
Dimitrov dominated the opening set, breaking Alcaraz’s first service sport earlier than hanging once more at 5-2.
The 2-time Grand Slam champion fought again from 4-1 down within the second, however Dimitrov broke for a fourth time to wrap up a second successive win over the Spaniard in 92 minutes.
“To win in opposition to him, you need to play at your greatest – that is simply how it’s,” mentioned Dimitrov, who additionally beat Alcaraz at October’s Shanghai Masters.
“Generally simplicity is genius. It’s extremely onerous to do it, particularly once you play in opposition to an opponent like that, however I used to be in a position to dictate the sport, learn the sport a bit higher than the final time.”
Dimitrov will return will return to the highest 10 for the primary time since 2018 if he beats Zverev to achieve the Miami remaining.
