Grigor Dimitrov will face third seed David Goffin in the quarter-final of the ongoing ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament - Rotterdam Open - on Friday. The Bulgarian continued his dream run in the ongoing season by disposing off world number 76 Denis Istomin in straight sets in the Round of 16 clash on Thursday.
With the 7-6, 6-1 win, Dimitrov has taken his season's tally to 16 wins in 17 matches. In what has been a breakthrough season for him, the 25-year-old has already won two titles - Brisbane and Sofia - and also reached the semi-final of the season's first Grand Slam in Melbourne, in which he lost a hard-fought five-setter to eventual runner-up Rafael Nadal.
Bidding to reach the semi-final in Rotterdam for the second time after his 2013 appearance, the Bulgarian is up against Goffin, against whom he has had a lot of success in the recent past. The big-serving Belgian, who has been quite consistent in the ongoing season, has stumbled against Dimitrov, losing to him in the final of Sofia last week shortly after his defeat in the quarter-final of Australian Open.
While Goffin will be looking to open his account against Dimitrov, the latter is not willing to underestimate his quarter-final opponent despite having a 3-0 head-to-head advantage. Attributing his success this season to his hard work, the in-form Bulgarian stresses on the need to remain focussed and get the job done.
"He [Goffin] is a tough player, a great competitor. We have played a few times, that is the record, but it does not mean anything to me. He has been pretty consistent over the past year or so. For sure it is going to be a great match for us. I just need to stay focused and play my game," Dimitrov said, as quoted by the ATP's official website.
Notably, the winner of the clash takes on the winner of the second quarter-final of the evening session between Dominic Thiem and Pierre Hugues Herbert.
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