Dimitrov lights up Shanghai with flexible hot shot

Oct 11, 2017
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Dimitrov lights up Shanghai with flexible hot shot

The human highlight reel is into the round of 16.

Published Oct 11, 2017

On Wednesday, Grigor Dimitrov saved three match points against Ryan Harrison in his 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 (6) victory in the second round of the Shanghai ATP Masters 1000.

The Bulgarian showed his mental toughness once again, but he’s also proving to be quite the human highlight reel. Even Harrison gave a thumbs up.

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Dimitrov’s incredible defense is more than fast footwork. Like former No. 1 Novak Djokovic, he can stretch himself to seemingly impossible positions that allow him to put the ball back into the court one more time.

In last week’s Beijing semifinal loss to Rafael Nadal, Dimitrov fell into an unusual split step for a gymnastic backhand winner.

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Next up for Dimitrov is Sam Querrey for a spot in the quarterfinals. It'll be a great contrast of Dimitrov’s all-around talents against the American’s no-nonsense power game. Dimitrov has won both career meetings, but the last time they met was back in 2015 at the Queen’s Club.

Follow Jeremy on Twitter: @JeremyEckstein1