Ram Finds Perfect Mix Against Dimitrov

Rajeev Ram will play for a third ATP World Tour title in as many final appearances after upsetting fourth seed Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-3 in the semi-finals of the Delray Beach Open on Saturday. The 31 year old will be in uncharted territory on Sunday, as his previous titles have come on the grass of Newport (2009 and 2015).

“I felt calm at the start of the match, I had a good game plan going out,” Ram said. “[Dimitrov] made some adjustments, but I thought I was pretty good the whole way.

“I wanted to make sure I was on offence a lot. I didn’t want to run side-to-side chasing his forehand.”

“He was returning well and putting me in uncomfortable positions,” Dimitrov said. “There was just nothing out there on my side, but that’s just one tennis match. Onto the next week.”

The American all-courter improved to 6-4 on the year, with half of his victories coming against players in the Top 30 Emirates ATP Rankings (Anderson – Australian Open, Tomic – Delray Beach). Ram’s controlled aggression served him well on a blustery day in Delray. He struck six aces, did not face a break point and is now 2-0 in his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry against the Bulgarian.

“My career has always been about improving and enjoying myself.,” said Ram, who will reach a career-high ranking next Monday. “Some of the things I’ve worked on in the last eight month have really translated. Things such as switching to a bigger, more powerful racquet to stay on offence a bit more.”

Ram’s final opponent will either be countryman Sam Querrey or wild card Juan Martin del Potro. The two big hitters will clash under the lights during the night session.