There will be no Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal final at the 2019 US Open. The potential epic matchup between the two was ruined by Grigor Dimitrov, who eliminated Federer in quarterfinals match on Tuesday night.
Dimitrov, who entered this year’s tournament as an unseeded player, claimed an unlikely 3-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 win in a match that was highlighted with Federer’s 63 unforced errors and his struggles with neck and back pain.
After the fourth set, Federer decided to take a medical break which lasted 10 minutes. However, he couldn’t recover enough to close out the match which Dimitrov used to grab his first career win over the Swiss legend.
“Grigor was able to put me away,” – said Federer after the match. “I fought with what I had.”
Federer was chasing his fifth US Open title, first since 2008. And he there was a good chance that he might have reached that, considering that the overwhelming favorite Novak Djokovic retired from the tournament due to an injury.
“Just disappointed it’s over because I did feel like I was actually playing really well after a couple of rocky starts,” – he added. “It’s just a missed opportunity, to some extent.”
Dimitrov, on the other hand, will play his first semi-finals at Flushing Meadows. Although once ranked No.3 in the world, the Bulgarian hit a rough patch in recent years and he is now No.78 ranked tennis player on ATP list.
Beating Federer might just be a lucky break for Dimitrov, or it could mean he is on track to resurrect his career. We’ll find out on Friday when he faces fifth-seeded Daniil Medvedev in an attempt to reach his first Grand Slam finals.
