Reigning Wimbledon champion Andy Murray will have his work cut out for him after he drew a very tough quarterfinal opponent in World No. 13 and Maria Sharapova beau, Grigor Dimitrov.
Sharapova’s game must be rubbing off on Dimitrov, who is enjoying his best season to date. But will taking out Murray, who is one of the four big favorites as we discussed in our Wimbledon preview, be a bridge too far? Read on for more on this mouthwatering quarterfinal clash.
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Andy Murray vs. Grigor Dimitrov, 2014 Wimbledon Men’s Singles Quarterfinal Match Preview
Where: Centre Court, All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Wimbledon, London
It’s been business as usual for Andy Murray at the All England Club. The defending Wimbledon champ has not yet dropped a single set on his beloved grass court on his way to a seventh consecutive trip to the Wimbledon quarterfinals.
[sc:Other240banner ]Murray made relatively short work of the potentially dangerous Kevin Anderson, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(6) in the round of 16. He out-aced the big serving South African, 11-9, committed just 12 unforced errors and fired home 49 winners en route to victory.
Murray’s all-around game has been sharp, but his patented return game has been especially locked-in throughout the tournament. He leads the event with return points won against first serves (42%), as well as return games won (45%).
Standing in the way of a sixth straight semifinal berth for Murray will be Grigor Dimitrov, a player Murray has had past success against. The Brit is 3-1 lifetime against the Bulgarian, but all four of their meetings have been on hardcourt.
Betting on Grigor Dimitrov
The best season of Grigor Dimitrov’s career just keeps getting better and better. The 23-year old Bulgarian, whose nickname is “Baby Fed” after drawing comparisons to Roger Federer at a young age, sealed his second Grand Slam quarterfinal of the year by holding off Leonardo Mayer 6-4, 7-6(6), 6-2.
Dimitrov also reached the last eight of the Australian Open, where he was eventually knocked out by Rafael Nadal.
The victory against Mayer extends Dimitrov’s winning streak to nine matches. Dimitrov won the prestigious Queen’s Club Championship, his third title of the year, just prior to Wimbledon. Dimitrov claimed the first of those titles in Acapulco, where he took out his next opponent, Andy Murray, in the semifinal.
Dimitrov, currently the World No. 13, has stepped up his game against top competition this year. He has seven career wins against players ranked in the Top 10, three of which have come this season alone. If he plays up to his undoubted ability against Murray, the defending champion could have a battle on his hands.
Writer’s Prediction
Dimitrov manages to be the first to take a set over Murray, but the defending champ has too much for the Bulgarian. Take Murray at -400 to proceed to the semifinal. Create a betting account today and cash in on the exciting final rounds of Wimbledon.
