Seventh seed Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria bagged the biggest title of his career at the Western & Southern Open after beating Nick Kyrgios of Australia, 6-3, 7-5, Sunday. The title was the third for the 26-year-old Bulgarian this year, but it was his first at the Masters 1000 level. With the win, Dimitrov tied his career-high three crowns in 2014, when he won the trophies at Queen's Club, Bucharest, and Acapulco. After the win, Dimitrov, who received $954,225 in prize money, said he was elated and humbled by his first ATP Masters 1000 title.
Dimitrov started his hardcourt season on an almost perfect note, going 16-1 en route to titles in Brisbane and Sofia and a semifinal spot at the Australian Open.
After struggling on grass and clay, Dimitrov regained his form on hard court as he carries the momentum of his Cincinnati win into the US Open. Dimitrov won his first Masters 1000 title in style, winning 52 of 53 service games. He also became the first player to win his first Masters 1000 title without dropping a set since Novak Djokovic achieved it in Miami in 2007.
Dimitrov boosts chances to play in London
Despite the win, Dimitrov said he will keep doing the same work as he prepares for the US Open. With the win, Dimitrov is expected to rise to sixth in the Emirates ATP Race To London, where the top eight players in the world will play from Nov. 12 to 19 at The O2 in London. Dimitrov showed his composure against Kyrgios, erasing two break points while clinching his lone break opportunity by returning a 129-mph serve that the Aussie netted.
Dimitrov also utilized his backhand to the hilt to stymie Kyrgios, who committed 31 unforced errors compared to 21 winners. Despite the loss, Kyrgios will receive 600 ATP Rankings points and $467,880 in prize money.
Muguruza stymies Simona Halep’s march to No. 1
Fourth seed Garbiñe Muguruza stopped second seed Simona Halep’s march to the No.
1 ranking after beating her 6-1, 6-0, on the women’s side of the Western & Southern Open event. Before their finals clash, Halep was sitting just five ranking points behind No. 1 Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic, but the Romanian failed to capitalize as Muguruza was dominating from the start of their match. Muguruza took a 3-0 lead in the first set and never looked back en route to her fifth career WTA title in just 56 minutes.
After the loss, Halep admitted that she cannot do anything to counter Muguruza’s outstanding play.
With Halep’s loss, Pliskova remains No.1 in the singles rankings while her compatriot Lucie Safarova rising to No.1 in doubles. This marks the first time that two Czechs are at the top of the WTA rankings. Muguruza, for her part, returned to No. 3 in the rankings, just over 500 points behind Pliskova.
