10th seed Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria will face No. 8 seed Hubert Hurkacz of Poland in the fourth round of the French Open on Sunday.
The winner of this match will play either No. 2 seed Jannik Sinner of Italy or Corentin Moutet of France in the quarterfinals.
The Bulgarian is an impressive 5-0 in their head-to-head series. This includes their only clay-court meeting-a quarterfinal at the Monte Carlo Masters in 2022, which Dimitrov won in a third-set tiebreaker.
Dimitrov stunned his Polish counterpart earlier this season when the pair met at the Miami Masters in March. The Bulgarian completed a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 comeback victory in the round of 16.
As with many other players, Grigor Dimitrov's frustrations grew with the rain delay as his less-experienced opponent, Belgian qualifier Zizou Bergs, put up a strong fight in the third and fourth sets. However, Dimitrov's experience helped him stay composed, avoiding a deciding set and ensuring he could return to the court within 24 hours for the round of 16.
This victory was a significant relief for the 33-year-old, particularly since he had faltered in the third round of this year's Australian Open. Even though he won the opening set, he lost in four sets to underdog Nuno Borges of Portugal, who was playing his first third-round match in a Major.
Grigor Dimitrov, who won the US Open and Wimbledon titles during his junior days, is often seen as a player who could have won Grand Slam titles if not for the dominance of the Big Three. Despite his talent, he has never reached a quarterfinal at the French Open, a notable gap in his career achievements. This year, however, presents a prime opportunity for Grisho to get this long-awaited milestone.
Since mid-2023, Dimitrov has shown consistent improvement, making significant strides in previously challenging areas. This resurgence, often seen as the second phase of his career, has bolstered his confidence. Building on this momentum, Dimitrov is optimistic about making his first quarterfinal appearance in the French capital.
In his 13 previous attempts at Roland Garros, Dimitrov has only reached the round of 16 twice, losing in straight sets to Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2020 and Alexander Zverev last year. This campaign allows him to finally break through and achieve a long-desired success at the French Open.
The 27-year-old Pole has not been quite dominating in his matches during this tournament, even against less experienced or out-of-form opponents. Nevertheless, Hurkacz has equaled his best result at the Roland Garros and is now just one win away from his first quarterfinal appearance here.
Hurkacz survived a first-round scare when he suddenly found himself 2-1 sets down to Japan qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki but eventually won twelve of the next 15 games. He continued with a 6-7, 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 victory over USA's Brandon Nakashima in the second round and another hard-fought 6-3, 7-6, 4-6, 6-1 win over Denis Shapovalov of Canada in the third round.
Unlike Dimitrov, Hurkacz's lack of quarterfinal appearances at the French Open is less notable. He has less participation in Paris, and clay is his least favored surface, where he has experienced considerable difficulties.
Yet, Hubert Hurkacz has shown marked improvement on clay this year. With 14 wins in just 17 matches, this season is his best on the surface. He started the European clay swing with a title in Estoril, a significant achievement considering he had never advanced past the quarterfinals in tour-level clay events before. He then reached the round of 16 or better at the Monte Carlo Masters, Madrid Masters, and Rome Masters.
Ranked #8 in the world, Hurkacz has a modest 2-3 record in the round of 16 at Grand Slams and lost his only fourth-round match at the French Open to eventual runner-up Casper Ruud (in four sets) two years ago. Furthermore, he has a 2-8 record against Top-10 players in Grand Slam tournaments.
While Grigor Dimitrov's head-to-head record is heavily favorable, it's worth noting that his matches against Hubert Hurkacz have always been closely contested.
Although Dimitrov is favored due to his more vital clay-court skills and mental edge in their encounters, his occasional inconsistency leaves the door open for Hurkacz to challenge him despite the historical and surface advantages leaning towards the Bulgarian.
