Potentially more deserving of an Arthur Ashe night session than Carlos Alcaraz, the clash between Andy Murray and Grigor Dimitrov does look one of the most interesting matches on Day 4 of the tournament. It will be the twelfth meeting between the two with Murray currently leading 8-3, although they have not played since 2016.
Dimitrov won a dramatic five setter against Alex Molcan, coming from two sets down as well as saving multiple match points against the Slovakian. Dimitrov is back in the Top 20 for the first time since last year’s US Open but a few more wins here could keep in there for longer this time round.
Murray joined a select field on Tuesday, making it 200 slam wins after seeing off Corentin Moutet in straight sets. There were opportunities aplenty on return in the 6-2 7-5 6-3 win, with the former champion taking 5 from the 25 that were on offer. “The preparation was slightly tricky because I had to pull out of the tournament mid-way through in Canada and miss Cincinnati,” said Murray, who suffered an ab strain in Toronto. “I had to slowly build my serving up but I was quite happy with how I served today, the ab felt good.”
Murray has usually done well against the lower ranked players in the Top 50 but it has been much more difficult for those ranked around Dimitrov’s level. The Scot will hope for a throwback to those years where he dominated Dimitrov, which does look a bit more possible if the Molcan match is anything to go by. He looked to still be struggling with the back injury and Murray is more than smart enough to expose the limited movement he will have as a result.
Prediction – Andy Murray in five sets
