The third time was the charm for David Goffin against Grigor Dimitrov in 2017.
Almost no one has had any luck against Dimitrov this year, but Goffin beat the Bulgarian for the first time in three attempts during the opening six weeks–and in seven attempts overall–during quarterfinal action at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament on Friday evening. Goffin improved to 1-6 lifetime against Dimitrov with a 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 win that required two hours and 16 minutes to complete.
Dimitrov had been 16-1 this season, with his only setback coming at the hands of Rafael Nadal in a five-set semifinal showdown at the Australian Open. The world No. 12 got the best of Goffin for last week’s Sofia title, but he finally ran out of steam in Rotterdam. Although almost nothing separated the two competitors in this one, the Belgian converted his only break opportunity in the final set and saved both of the break points he faced.
Dimitrov-Goffin rally:
Goffin is joined in the semis by Jo-Wlilfried Tsonga, who eliminated top seed Marin Cilic 7-6(10), 7-6(5). Neither player donated serve in the entire contest, but it was Tsonga who played the big points better in the two tiebreakers.
“I’m really happy with the victory, as the most important thing is that I played good tennis from the start to the end,” Tsonga noted. “I have been feeling great the past couple of months, including a quarterfinal at the Australian Open. Marin is a very good player and difficult to play against as he has an all-round game.”
Tsonga-Cilic highlights:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqEL305SkXY
Up next for the sixth seed is Tomas Berdych, who took down defending champion Martin Klizan 6-3, 6-3.
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