Grigor Dimitrov Scores Landmark 400th Win At Chengdu Open

| by Nurein Ahmed

Grigor Dimitrov notched a landmark 400th match win on the ATP Tour in the Round of 16 at the 2023 Chengdu Open.

The Bulgarian star bounced back from his third-round exit at the US Open in swashbuckling style, in his first match in almost three weeks, overcoming Peruvian clay courter Juan Pablo Varillas 6-4, 6-3 in an hour and 26 minutes of play.

It was a seesaw match that featured plenty of service breaks (eight to be precise), but Dimitrov's skillset on the hard court proved superior, slicing and dicing from the baseline and converting five of his six break point chances. He won 76% first-serve points, but a paltry 38% behind his second delivery.

He'll play Australia's Christopher O'Connell in the last eight in a clash of one-handers. The unseeded Aussie defeated Japan's Taro Daniel 7-6, 6-4 to advance. Dimitrov leads the head-to-head 2-0 but was stretched to three sets in the pair's 2023 encounter in Geneva.

2023 European Open Antwerp ATP Entry List - Tsitsipas, Sinner, Dimitrov & more
2023 European Open Antwerp ATP Entry List - Tsitsipas, Sinner, Dimitrov & more

Dimitrov, born in 1991, becomes the first man born in the 1990s to reach 400 wins at the Tour level and also joins an exclusive club of players to have attained that number. Before him, only 92 ATP players (active and retired) had achieved 400 career wins, and he was ecstatic when he spoke in the post-match interview.

"Yeah, absolutely I’m happy almost tears in my eyes. Honestly, I didn’t know that (reaching 400 wins). I’m just humbled, really. Over the course of so many years on tour, every milestone you have it’s very special. And I mean, 400th win, this is magnificent. I’m very happy."

Dimitrov is still chasing his first ATP title this season. In fact, he last clinched silver in the 2017 season when he won the season-ending ATP Finals in London. He's had a solid campaign this year - getting his ranking in the world's Top 20, and coming so close to landing the ultimate prize in Geneva where he finished as a runner-up.

2023 European Open Antwerp ATP Prize Money & Points Overview
2023 European Open Antwerp ATP Prize Money & Points Overview

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