The Miami Open is heading towards its final stretch and one of the most anticipated duels takes place this Thursday (28). From 8pm (Brasília time), Carlos Alcaraz It is Grigor Dimitrov face each other in the quarterfinals, with live broadcast on ESPN on Star+.
Favorite in the duel, the 20-year-old Spaniard is excited about winning the Indian Wells Masters 1000, played in early March. However, he will face someone who has impressive statistics and has enjoyed a true “renaissance” in recent months.
Dimitrov, who enjoyed the peak of his career in 2017, when he reached number 3 in the world and was champion of the ATP Finals, is the player born in the 1990s with the most victories on the ATP circuit, ahead of Alexander Zverev and Grand Slam champions Daniel Medvedev It is Dominic Thiem.
Alcaraz’s opponent has accumulated 430 triumphs in the elite of world tennis, including those in this campaign at the Masters 1000 in Miami. In second place is Zverev, who is looking for his 411th victory against Fabian Marozsan also in the Florida quarterfinals.
With the label of the most successful tennis player of his generation, the Bulgarian, who currently occupies 12th position in the ranking, has never won a major, largely due to living with the Big 3, formed by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, all born in the 1980s.
But being in the top 20 wasn’t always a reality for Dimitrov. After an exceptional season in 2017, when Alcaraz was just 14 years old, the Bulgarian suffered from injuries and fell in the rankings. Grigor fell outside the top 75 in 2019 and went six years without a single title.
At the beginning of 2024, Dimitrov was champion of the ATP 250 in Brisbane, ending this bitter streak, and will have a very difficult stop to continue dreaming of the second Masters 1000 of his career. Alcaraz, at just 20 years old, has already accumulated 170 victories on the circuit.
In the confrontation between the two tennis players, the Spanish number 2 in the world won three games and lost for the first time to the Bulgarian in the last meeting between the two, which was in the round of 16 of the Shanghai Masters 1000 last year.
CLICK HERE AND WATCH THE GAME BETWEEN ALCARAZ AND DIMITROV IN THE QUARTERS OF THE MIAMI OPEN
More tennis, MLB doubleheader and March Madness
In addition to the quarterfinals of the men’s singles group, women’s tennis also promises to shake up the schedule of the ESPN this Thursday.
From 4pm onwards, the semi-finals of the WTA 1000 Miami.
At 5pm, the double round of the MLB with St. Louis Cardinals against Los Angeles Dodgersand, subsequently, Chicago Cubs face the Texas Rangers.
At the end of the day, starting at 8pm, it’s the turn of the US college basketball league, with the round of 16 of March Madness, or rather, the Sweet 16 of March Madness
SEE THE COMPLETE AGENDA OF EVENTS HERE ESPN NO STAR+
