Dimitrov Stays On Course In London
Sixth seed Grigor Dimitrov edged past French veteran Julien Benneteau 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Wednesday to keep his Aegon Championships campaign on track. The 2014 titlist hit 15 aces and saved five of six break points to move into the quarter-finals.
“I'm just focusing on my things and what I have to do. The outcome was great. I'm just happy that I won the match and I think even happier that I didn't play my best and I won,” Dimitrov said. “I think with each match, the level gets higher and higher.”
Dimitrov will next meet either #NextGenATP Russian Daniil Medvedev or #NextGenATP Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis, who knocked out third seed and 2016 finalist Milos Raonic on Tuesday.
Read More: The Sweetest Feeling: Kokkinakis Claims Biggest Win
Seventh seed Tomas Berdych kept his title hopes alive by battling past #NextGenATP Canadian Denis Shapovalov 7-6(4), 6-7(4), 7-5 in two hours and 15 minutes. In the decider, Berdych won 80 per cent of his service points, didn't face a break point and converted his lone break point.
Luxembourg's Gilles Muller advanced to his third consecutive quarter-final at The Queen's Club, saving all three break points to knock out fifth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-4, 6-4.
Muller has now won six consecutive matches to start his grass-court season. The 34-year-old left-hander captured his second ATP World Tour title on Sunday at the Ricoh Open in 's-Hertogenbosch, beating Croatian Ivo Karlovic.
Muller belted nine aces and won 86 per cent of his first-serve points against Tsonga, who was trying to reach his third quarter-final at The Queen's Club. The Frenchman had been the second-highest remaining seed in London, after three of the top four seeds – Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka and Milos Raonic – all lost on Tuesday.
“He just played good tennis. Sometimes you cannot do anything because the guy in front of you is playing well and he's doing the right things to make you play in a bad way, and that's it,” Tsonga said.
Muller will try to reach his first semi-final at The Queen's Club when he meets either Aussie Jordan Thompson, who beat Murray, or Sam Querrey of the U.S.
Read More: Lucky Loser Thompson Shocks Murray
American Donald Young, playing in London for the third time, reached his first Queen's Club quarter-final. The 27-year-old Young broke Serbian Viktor Troicki three times to advance 6-3, 6-4. Young will next face fourth seed Marin Cilic, the highest seed remaining, or #NextGenATP American Stefan Kozlov.
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