Grigor Dimitrov comes through Alexander Zverev 'dogfight' to set up Miami Open final showdown with Jannik Sinner

Grigor Dimitrov progressed into the final of the Miami Open following victory over Alexander Zverev.

After his shock win over Carlos Alcaraz in the previous round, the Bulgarian veteran was at it again as he sent fourth seed Zverev on his way courtesy of a 6-4 6-7(4) 6-4 win.

In a closely contested match, Dimitrov edged the first set after converting his first break point on set point before narrowly losing the second despite saving two set points in the decisive tie-breaker.

Zverev, with five ATP 1000 titles under his belt, was aiming for a first final at this level since a 2022 Madrid Open defeat to Alcaraz but saw his chances fade after a crucial break for 4-3 in the third, allowing his opponent to seal another surprise victory.

"It was like a dogfight on both ends," said Dimitrov afterwards. "I think we really went at each other, especially after that first set, I felt like he upped his game a little bit and he was very, very strong throughout the whole second set and even in the tie-break. He was constantly putting a lot of pressure on me.

"And then in the third set, he had one [break] chance. I served good and then I stayed and I kept on going after my shots. I think in the end, I played with a little bit more authority and was moving the ball very well."

Dimitrov, who already has the Brisbane International title under his belt this season, will now face Jannik Sinner in Sunday’s final as he targets a first ATP 1000 title since winning the 2017 Cincinnati Open.

Both men looked dominant on serve in the opening games of the first set until the fifth when Zverev won a thrilling 32-shot rally for 30-all.

The German turned the screw and soon had break point but Dimitrov snuffed it out and held as his opponent sent a forehand just long of the baseline.

The match continued on serve but Zverev let a 30-0 lead slip at 4-5 down to give Dimitrov his first break point for the set, and the Bulgarian won the opener when his opponent sent a forehand high into the Miami sky.

The two couldn’t be separated in the second and with 81% first serve points won, Zverev was able to take the tiebreak at the third time of asking as Dimitrov netted his return at the key moment.

A break point opportunity fell the way of Zverev in the decider, but Dimitrov was able to up the intensity to hold before securing the break of his own in remarkable fashion, slipping and falling to the surface reacting to a net chord yet still able to hit the cross-court volley to edge 4-3 in front.

He ensured victory with a love-hold as Zverev again put too much on his forehand on match point.

The result also sees the 32-year-old return to the top 10 of the ATP rankings for the first time since 2018.

"I fight my own battles right now. I run my own race," Dimitrov said. "I think all that comes with all the work that we have put in as a team. I'm on a very different path in my life, in my career.

"There's a lot that was done, a lot of work, a lot of everything behind it. I kept on believing, I kept on thriving, I kept on having faith in myself. This is just the cherry on the cake."

Earlier, Australian Open champion Sinner booked his place in the final courtesy of a straight sets win over the same man he beat in the Melbourne final Daniil Medvedev.

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