Grigor Dimitrov’s renaissance has hit new heights in Beijing, as the former top-ten player is through to his first 500-level final in over two years at the China Open. However, it was not how Dimitrov likely wanted to reach the final, as he advanced on Saturday without hitting a ball as his opponent, third seed Milos Raonic, was forced to withdraw with an ankle injury.
Another injury for Raonic
Rain had forced Raonic to play two full matches on Friday, culminating in a quarterfinal victory over Pablo Carreno Busta. That match proved to be a step too far, literally. Raonic explained that “yesterday during my second match in the evening, I rolled over my ankle, obviously caused it some level of a sprain.”
Raonic, who is currently in a strong position to qualify for the ATP World Tour Finals, was hoping that Beijing would help him clinch his spot in London, rather than being another step back. He said “I did a test this morning, which showed I had a partial tear on the outside of my ankle. I was told to give it a try. I tried to warm up just before the match like I would normally, and I was unable to play. Therefore, it seemed to be the correct decision to have to withdraw from this match I was looking forward to this evening.”
Raonic was injured at the Australian Open, forcing him to miss over a month of action. He struggled with severe cramping at the US Open. He is still planning on playing in Shanghai next week, where he is the fifth seed.
Next step for Dimitrov
Dimitrov, who has struggled since his breakout in 2014, has been steadily improving throughout the later stages of 2016. His run in Beijing has been remarkable. He scored back-to-back three-set wins over Steve Johnson and sixth seed Lucas Pouille before stunning second seed Rafael Nadal in straight sets to reach the semis.
He will take on Andy Murray in the final.