Dimitrov and De Minaur on repeat

Alex de Minaur celebrates his 25th birthday today, and for the second year running, he will have a familiar special guest on Rotterdam Ahoy’s centre court. Just like last year, Grigor Dimitrov joined the party to celebrate the Australian’s birthday. However, during this 51st edition of the ABN AMRO Open, the two players face each other at the semi-final stage. Twelve months ago, Dimitrov came out on top in the tiebreak of the third set in the quarter-finals. 'It’s about time I won on my birthday. Last year I lost two match points. I just can't happen this time.' says the Australian.

De Minaur got revenge against second-seed Andrey Rublev for last month's elimination in the fourth round of the Australian Open. The match was a marathon, and yesterday in Rotterdam there was little difference in the intensity of their power struggle. The Sydney native triumphed after two and a half hours: 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-3. 'It’s a nice revenge against Andrey, because after my defeat in Melbourne, I was completely exhausted for two days. This was another fight against a good friend.’

Given his past experiences at the ABN AMRO Open, it is no surprise that Grigor Dimitrov has reached the semi-finals yet again in Rotterdam Ahoy. The 32-year-old Bulgarian edged himself into the final four after beating the Kazakh Alexander Shevchenko: 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-4. 'Mentally, I was the strongest,' said Dimitrov, who reached his highest ranking in November 2017, as a World No.3. 'I trained with Shevchenko regularly, but I was quite surprised by his excellent serve throughout the match. I hadn't experienced such a strong serve in a long time.’

Dimitrov, currently ranked World No. 19, is now a regular in the Masstaad. It’s his tenth participation, and he has now reached the semifinals for the fourth time. 'It’s a long history indeed, and I really have fond memories of this tournament.’ So far in 2024, Dimitrov is on track to be the player with the most victories, having already achieved thirteen victories on the ATP Tour this year.