Thirteenth-ranked Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria advanced to his first career Grand Slam semifinal on Wednesday after upsetting defending champion Andy Murray of Great Britain 6-1, 7-6, 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon 2014 Championships. The victory assures Dimitrov a place in the world’s top ten on Monday, a first for his young career.
“I’m excited and happy I went through in straight sets,” Dimitrov said in an interview with BBC TV. “It’s never easy to play Andy, especially in front of his home crowd. I was pretty fortunate today.
“As soon as we started warming up, I sensed his game wasn’t at his highest level and I was pretty confident and playing good tennis. The first set helped me get into a good rhythm. The second set tie-break was a key moment for me. Coming into the third set, I knew I had a lot of things under control.
“I was pretty steady during the whole match and came out the winner. I have two more matches to play hopefully. I’m trying to stay on course and prepare for the next one.”
There were high profile personalities in the audience at the Centre Court, including HRH The Duke of Cambridge and HRH The Duchess of Cambridge.
Dimitrov is now on a nine-match winning streak. He entered Wimbledon with his first grasscourt title win at The Queen’s Club in London.
The 23-year old started the year ranked 23rd but he’s now made remarkable strides in the past few months. He’s now won three titles so far this season.
Djokovic will next face top seed and world number two Novak Djokovic for a place in the final on Friday.
