Grigor Dimitrov isn’t shy to admit that his 2019 hasn’t gone as planned, but he was rewarded for his persistence on Sunday at the US Open. The Bulgarian reached his first quarter-final in New York by producing one of his best performances of the season, scoring the lone break in each set to defeat #NextGenATP Aussie Alex de Minaur 7-5, 6-3, 6-4.

“There’s not much to say other than that I’m pleased to be back on a court, pain-free and feeling really good,” Dimitrov said in his on-court interview. “I’ve put a lot miles in my legs [and] a lot of practice.”

After a solid start to the year in Australia, Dimitrov missed two months with a right shoulder injury and struggled when he returned. He arrived in New York with a 7-13 record since the Australian Open and hadn’t reached a tour-level quarter-final since January. His performance against De Minaur appears to be a sign that the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion has turned a corner and is moving back to the form that saw him peak at No. 3 in the ATP Rankings. 

The Bulgarian won’t be savouring his breakthrough moment as he turns his attention to a quarter-final showdown with third seed and five-time champion Roger Federer. Dimitrov is winless (0-7) in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, but the two sets he’s taken off Federer came on hard courts.

“I’m already thinking about it,” Dimitrov said. It’s my first time in the quarter-finals here of the US Open, so I’m going to make the most of it. This is what I practice for, to play these matches.”

Dimitrov never looked back after grabbing the first break of the match at 5-6 in the opening set. The 28-year-old didn’t drop serve against De Minaur and only faced one break point, but also made life difficult for the Aussie in his return games, striking his one-handed backhand to perfection and ripping forehand winners from all parts of the court. He raised his arms in triumph when De Minaur sent a forehand long after two hours and five minutes. 

De Minaur showed his trademark fighting spirit throughout the match, but wasn’t able to bring his best tennis and finished the day with 43 unforced errors. However, the 20-year-old can be pleased with his efforts in New York. He beat sixth seed Kei Nishikori on Friday for his first Top 10 win and maiden appearance in the fourth round of a Grand Slam.

It’s been three years since Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka faced off in the 2016 US Open final, which saw Wawrinka prevail for his third Grand Slam crown. The top-seeded Serbian and No. 23 seed from Switzerland take to Arthur Ashe Stadium once again for an epic fourth-round showdown on Sunday.

Defending champion Djokovic leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 19-5, but Wawrinka’s three most recent victories against him have come in Grand Slams. The Swiss also defeated Djokovic in the 2015 Australian Open quarter-finals and 2015 Roland Garros final, consistently finding a way to raise his level against the World No. 1 in major matches.

“I was full of confidence. I was playing well, moving well, at the top of my game. For sure I could only play the best tennis when it’s the final,” Wawrinka recalled of his US Open triumph. “There’s something with him that when I get into my best game, I know that it’s going to have some big rally. I’m going to play good tennis.”

Who will win the latest @FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting between these players?#USOpen

— ATP Tour (@ATP_Tour) September 1, 2019

However, their careers have taken markedly different turns since their most recent clash in New York. Although they each missed the last four months of the 2017 season due to injury, Djokovic would go on to add another four Grand Slam titles to his tally, while Wawrinka’s comeback has yielded just one tour-level final this February in Rotterdam (l. to Monfils). But despite being the on-paper favourite, Djokovic’s past history with Wawrinka in Grand Slams means he won’t be taking the battle lightly.

”We had some great battles over the years everywhere, but particularly here. I lost to him the last time we played on this court,” Djokovic said. “He’s someone that possesses a game with a lot of power and quality. He’s a great guy. We practice together a lot, so may the best man win.”

Third-seeded Swiss Roger Federer kicks off the day session against No. 15 seed David Goffin of Belgium. The five-time US Open champion leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 8-1, including a win this June in the championship match in Halle. Federer is rounding into top form this week, dropping just five games in a dominant third-round victory over Brit Daniel Evans. The World No. 3 in the ATP Rankings looks to shed the demons of his fourth-round exit last year to Aussie John Millman and inch closer to his first title in New York since 2008.

Meanwhile, Goffin is enjoying a career resurgence over the past two months, reaching the Wimbledon quarter-finals and his first ATP Masters 1000 final last month in Cincinnati (l. to Medvedev). His tenacious and reliable brand of tennis has yielded plenty of wins over top players, particularly when they’re not at their best. If Federer gets off to the slow starts that he displayed in his first two rounds this week, the Belgian will be sure to take advantage.

Fifth-seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev meets German qualifier Dominik Koepfer, who had just two tour-level wins to his name prior to this week. Medvedev is arguably the most in-form player on tour at the moment, fresh off his first Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati (d. Goffin) and holding a 17-2 record since the end of the grass-court season. But the 23-year-old will have added pressure against Koepfer as he looks to reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final.

“As everybody says, before the tournament I was one of the favourites. Probably unconsciously I was looking in the second week, at the draw,” he said. “I’m trying to convince myself to look at match by match.”

Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov and #NextGenATP Aussie Alex de Minaur face off for a pivotal moment in both of their careers. Dimitrov seeks his first quarter-final in New York, while De Minaur looks to build on what is already his best Grand Slam result. The 20-year-old Aussie has excelled on hard courts this season, lifting his first two ATP Tour titles in Sydney (d. Seppi) and Winston-Salem (d. Fritz). Dimitrov has endured a difficult season by his lofty standards, but the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion is capable of beating anyone when he’s at his best.

ORDER OF PLAY – SUNDAY, 1 September 2019

Arthur Ashe Stadium start 12:00
[3] Roger Federer vs [15] David Goffin
WTA match

NB 7:00 pm
WTA match
[1] Novak Djokovic vs [23] Stan Wawrinka

Louis Armstrong Stadium start 11:00
Three WTA matches

NB 5:00 pm
[5] Daniil Medvedev vs [Q] Dominik Koepfer

Grandstand start 11:00
WTA match
Grigor Dimitrov vs Alex de Minaur
WTA match
[8] Marcel Granollers/Horacio Zeballos vs [10] Rajeev Ram/Joe Salisbury

Court No. 17 start 11:00
[12] Kevin Krawietz/Andreas Mies vs Marcelo Arevalo/Jonny O’Mara
WTA match
[16] Oliver Marach/Jurgen Melzer vs Marius Copil/Nick Kyrgios
[2] Lukasz Kubot/Marcelo Melo vs Leonardo Mayer/Joao Sousa
WTA match

Court No. 17 NB 1:00pm
Two WTA matches
[13] Robin Haase/Wesley Koolhof vs Pablo Carreno Busta/Feliciano Lopez
Mixed doubles match

Experience prevailed over youth in an epic third-round battle on Saturday between No. 13 seed Gael Monfils and Denis Shapovalov. The Frenchman weathered numerous inspired comebacks from the #NextGenATP Canadian to advance 6-7(5), 7-6(4), 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3, with a visibly emotional Monfils accepting the roars of the crowd after three hours and 35 minutes of play.

“I think people love me because I play with my heart. I fight. It’s always something special with me,” Monfils said. “You never know how and what I can do on the court. I think that’s why the people like that, a little bit [of] mystery part of me.

“I like the way I am now. I like the way the crowd is behind me. I love the energy here. I’m happy.”

Monfils and Shapovalov arrived in top form for their showdown in Louis Armstrong Stadium, having not dropped a set in their first two rounds. They both came out swinging and produced more winners than errors in the opening set, but it was Shapovalov who dictated most of the exchanges with aggressive all-court flair. In what would become a trend throughout the night, the 20-year-old twice fought back from down a break before storming through the first-set tie-break.

The Frenchman produced his own Houdini act in the second set, though. Shapovalov served for a two-set lead at 5-4, but Monfils crawled back by mixing up electric winners with off-pace shots. The No. 13 seed held the lead throughout the tie-break and levelled the match.

Monfils continued to ride his momentum, grabbing the third set with a single break of serve at 2-2 and sprinting out to a two-break, 4-1 advantage in the third set. But with his new coach, former Top 10 player Mikhail Youzhny, urging him on, the Canadian began to resurface. Sensing he had no choice but to gamble, Shapovalov went for broke from the baseline and continued to find the corners. When Monfils failed to serve out the match at 5-4 and sent a forehand wide, the 20-year-old threw his arms up and motioned for the crowd to get out of their seats.

But his biggest comeback was still to come. Monfils rallied from 2/5 in the fourth-set tie-break and earned a match point at 6/5, but Shapovalov bravely erased with it a huge forehand. Two points later, the crowd gasped as Monfils double faulted to send the match to a decider.

The Frenchman showed incredible mental toughness and rebounded immediately, pushing Shapovalov around the baseline to break at 2-1 in the fifth set. Shapovalov saved another match point on his serve at 2-5 with a blistering backhand, but Monfils made good on his third chance and both men embraced at the net after their hard-fought battle.

Next up for Monfils is Spaniard Pablo Andujar, a winner earlier in the day over Kazakh Alexander Bublik. Andujar is through to the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time at age 33.