Dimtrov’s reaction when it was announced that he had not beaten Zverev, his future opponent, for 10 years

However, the Iberian could not cope with the particularly incisive game displayed by Dimitrov since the beginning of the match, who managed a total of 24 “winners”, ending the accounts with Alcaraz after an hour and 34 minutes of play, under the gaze of celebrities such as Mike Tyson and Jimmy Butler, who were in the stands.

The Bulgarian, who is fighting for his second Masters 1,000 title, after the one won in Cincinnati (Ohio) in 2017, will face the German Alexander Zverev, world number 5 and reigning Olympic champion, in the semifinals on Saturday.

Zverev, in turn, defeated the Hungarian Fabian Marozsan (ranked 57th ATP), 6-3, 7-5, on Thursday, who had eliminated two ATP Top 10 players in the previous rounds: the Danish Holger Rune and the Australian Alex de Minaur.

The German has won 21 titles on the professional circuit and hopes to add his sixth ATP Masters 1,000 trophy to his record this week and the first after the one obtained in 2021 in Cincinnati. The German leaves as the favorite, on paper, especially since he has won 7 of the last 8 straight matches with Dimitrov, the Bulgarian winning against Sascha precisely in 2014, when Zverev was only 16 years old. Informed of this, Grigor tried to minimize the importance of the statistic, explaining that he will focus on his game, not on what happened in the previous duels against the German.

“It’s just numbers, man. It is what it is. It will just be another opponent at the moment. First of all, I want to analyze what I did well today to prepare for the next match. That’s my goal right now.

I don’t want to think too much about what’s next, I don’t want to say to myself “God, I’ve played against him so many times and I’ve lost”. It’s just another game. I’m very happy to be in the semi-finals, it’s the first time I’ve been in the last 4 here and it brings me a lot of joy, honestlyDimitrov said.

As for the “secrets” of the victory, Dimtrov believes that a key was not letting Carlitos play his game. If you allow Alcaraz to hit the way he wants and don’t keep him constantly under pressure, you don’t stand a chance against him.

“I always say that Alcaraz is incredibly explosive, he’s incredible. I love watching him play or practice. I’m 12 years older than him and it’s really fun for me to be able to challenge myself in this way.

You can’t let him hit if you want to have a chance against him. I already saw what can happen in the second set when he broke me. There was nothing I could do, I just had to be patient. I knew I would get another chance and I didn’t back down. I believed in my game and the successful executions were perfect.

I like Carlos’ game. He is one of the most skilled players out there. Sometimes I see myself reflected in it at certain times, so I can guess what might happen, even if it doesn’t always happen the way I think. He is very explosive and you always have to put him in an uncomfortable situation.

Sometimes you have to put power into your shots to keep him at bay. This is especially interesting in the tender spots. It’s like playing cat and mouse and waiting to see who strikes first. I’m sure he feels the same wayDimitrov said.

For the first time in the semi-final in Miami, Dimitrov ticked off the 40th victory of his career against an ATP top 10 player and, if he reaches the final, he will return to the top 10 in the world for the first time since October 2018.

With victories over Hurkacz and Alcaraz, in the eighths and quarters, Dimitrov ticked off the first consecutive successes against two ATP top 10 players since the Champions Tournament in 2017. Then, Grigor won the competition.

A success in the penultimate act, against Sinner, would be synonymous with a return to the ATP top 10 for the Bulgarian, for the first time in the last 6 years. And the other semi-final in Miami promises to be at least as interesting, facing Australian Open finalists Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev.