Sports
Dimitrov beats Goffin to reach last four at ATP Finals
London, Nov 16 (IANS) Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov overpowered Belgium’s David Goffin in straight sets to book a semifinal berth in the ATP Finals at the O2 Arena here.
The sixth seed stormed to a 6-0, 6-2 win against World No.7 Goffin in only 74 minutes, joining six-time winner Roger Federer as the only two singles players who secured semifinal places on Wednesday, reports Xinhua news agency.
“I think clearly I played a great match today,” Dimitrov said.
“I think my focus was very good. I started the match well. I was using every opportunity. I took care of all of the balls that I had to. I won the most important points, especially in the first set.”
Goffin, who upset World No.1 Rafael Nadal in his first match, scored his first point 48 minutes into the match after being blanked in the first set. But Dimitrov continued to press him, charging the net and winning most of the points.
“I’m feeling okay. It was not the problem today. It was just a tough, tough match against Grigor, who played really well,” Goffin said.
“It was not easy for me to lose my serve from the start. It was tough for my confidence after that when it was 0-4. In the second, I had some opportunities to come back, to break back, but he was really solid. He served well,” he added.
Goffin will fight for a semifinal berth with Austrian Dominic Thiem in their final group match on Friday.
Thiem, the World No.4, collected his first win of the week, beating Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in the day’s other match.
“I’m very happy and pleased that I get the chance to play for the semifinals on Friday,” Thiem said.
“We had some big, important matches in the past. This one’s going to be another one. We know each other very well. He played one very good match here, (and) one very bad match. I don’t know what to expect. I’m hoping that it’s going to be a tough match, and I’m trying everything to go through to the semis,” he added.
Busta, ranked 10th in the world, is taking the place of Nadal, who withdrew from the season finale on Monday due to an injured right knee.
–IANS
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The left-handed batsman from Haryana is garnering praise from all quarters for the way he’s finishing games regularly in the most exciting IPL season.
Gavaskar reckons Tewatia’s whirlwind knock in Sharjah (in IPL 2020) where he smashed West Indies pacer Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in an over, gave him the confidence that he belongs to the big stage.
Speaking on Cricket Live on Star Sports, Gavaskar said, “That assault on Sheldon Cottrell in Sharjah gave him the belief to do the impossible and the confidence that he belongs here. We saw the impossible (he did with the bat) the other day as well. There’s no twitching or touching the pads (which shows a batter’s nervousness) when he bats in the death overs. He just waits for the ball to be delivered and plays his shots. He’s got all the shots in the book, but most importantly his temperament to stay cool in a crisis is brilliant.”
Gavaskar has also nicknamed the 28-year-old cricketer the ‘ice-man’ and lauded Tewatia’s ability to remain unruffled during the tense moments.
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