Rafa Nadal now has a 7-0 record against the talented 24 year-old Grigor Dimitrov from Bulgaria with a tight three set win at the Swiss Indoors Basel tournament. Each player was trying to end the year on a positive note after disappointing results in 2015. The Spaniard missed much of the second half of 2014 due to injuries and ailments. In 2015, for the first time since 2004, Nadal did not win a grand slam title. In tournaments throughout the year, he has lost to much lower ranked opponents. The Bulgarian likewise has not played to expectations in 2015. Dimitrov’s ranking has slipped from a high of 8 in August 2014 to 28 currently; he has no titles in 2015. Both have been regaining form lately. Nadal was victorious over big servers Stan Wawrinka, Milos Raonic, and Ivo Karlovic in the Shanghai Masters to reach the semifinals. Earlier in October, the former world number one lost to Novak Djokovic in the Beijing finals. Recently, Dimitrov made it to the quarterfinals in Kuala Lumpur and Stockholm.
The young Bulgarian started the match strongly breaking Nadal’s first service game. However, The Spaniard, after a confident hold of serve in the seventh game, broke back in the eighth game with smart shot selection and aggressive returns, especially on second serves to level the set at 4 apiece. Nadal held comfortably at love the next game turning the set around. Despite getting off to a 30-0 start, Dimitrov lost serve to drop the first set 6-4. After beginning the set well, the Bulgarian’s level of play dipped, while Nadal’s game remained steady. Dimitrov’s first serve percentage was a paltry 34% in the set compared to 62% for Nadal. Dimitrov was hampered by many forehand errors and missing his signature backhand on key points (16 unforced errors compared to 11 for Nadal).
The second set began exactly like the first with Nadal dropping serve in the first game. The Spaniard tested Dimitrov’s serve in the next game, but Dimitrov confirmed the break. In this set, however, Dimitrov did not take his foot off the gas and won the third game to get a second break, he then held his serve easily to go up 4-0. Nadal began to play more aggressively keeping Dimitrov off balance and won the next three games (aided also by backhand errors from Dimitrov). The Bulgarian went up 5-3 with the help of two free points donated by Nadal followed by a timely ace. Dimitrov closed the set out 6-4 to force a decider. Dimitrov improved his first service percentage to 73% in the second set vs. 67% for Nadal.
Yet again, Nadal failed to hold his first service game and Dimitrov got off to a 2-0 start in the third set. Nadal had an important hold at love punctuated by an ace in the third game and got the break back in the fourth game to get back on serve. The Spaniard held at love again in the fifth game. He pressured Dimitrov’s next service game, but the Bulgarian held for 3-3. Nadal won the next two games comfortably to serve for the match. The last game had some fantastic points with Nadal coming out on top to win the match 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
This is the second good win for Nadal in this tournament on a surface that does not play into Nadal’s game. The ball stays low and does not allow for him to set up his big swing. He competed exceptionally well after falling behind in each set. In the first round, Nadal lost the first set 1-6, before getting past Lukas Rosal of the Czech Republic; 1-6, 7-5, 7-6. Nadal will face Marin Cilic in the quarterfinals.
