Dimitrov saves MP, survives Cerundolo after nearly 3 hours

Grigor Dimitrov saved a match point to survive Francisco Cerundolo on Wednesday at the Miami Open presented by Itau, where the Bulgarian claimed a gritty 150th match win at ATP Masters 1000 level to advance to the semi-finals.

Gasping for air at times in the latter stages of the match, last year’s finalist Dimitrov found enough energy to fight off Cerundolo 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(3) after two hours, 48 minutes. Cerundolo will rue his missed backhand return while holding match point at 6-5 in the decider.

Dimitrov had his own missed opportunities in the beginning stages, letting slip seven set points in the opener, including a 6/4 lead in the tie-break. Dimitrov squandered his seventh set point by dumping a routine backhand volley in the net. But that did not discourage the 33-year-old from moving forward, instead only fuelling his determination. He took a more aggressive baseline position in the second set and converted all eight of his net points.

Playing with great variety by mixing backhand slices with his trademark one-hander, Dimitrov found greater consistency off that wing and began to dictate rallies. He earned a break in the opening game of the second set and did not drop a point behind his first serve (11/11), according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Trailing 0-3 in the decider, Dimitrov mounted another comeback to improve to 12-1 in three-set matches at the ATP Masters 1000 event in South Florida. He won the first point of the third-set tie-break in dramatic fashion, nailing a forehand past Cerundolo before falling on the ground, almost rolling his ankle.

GRIGOR DIMITROV!!!

HOW HAVE YOU DONE THAT?! 🤯🤯🤯@MiamiOpen | #MiamiOpen | @GrigorDimitrov pic.twitter.com/vaVptitPcr

— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 27, 2025

After showing signs of exhaustion during parts of the final set, Dimitrov sat down in relief after shaking hands with the 23rd seed, who the nine-time tour-level titlist now leads 2-0 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. Dimitrov was heard saying he felt dizzy and he was assisted off the court by a tournament doctor and ATP physio.

Up next for the 14th seed will be six-time champion Novak Djokovic or American Sebastian Korda.

Having arrived in Miami with a 5-5 season record and defending his finalist showing from last year, Dimitrov’s run to the last four has him No. 18 the PIF ATP Live Rankings. He is the fifth man to reach multiple Miami semi-finals after turning 30 (Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors, Roger Federer, John Isner).