For the first time since outplaying Carlos Alcaraz in last year's Miami Masters, Grigor Dimitrov faces off with the Spaniard at Indian Wells on Wednesday, aiming to stun the two-time defending champion in the fourth round.
The Bulgarian overcame a troublesome thumb in Monday's thrilling three-set success over Gael Monfils for his fifth triumph in 2025, and the veteran aims to snap Alcaraz's 14-match winning sequence at Indian Wells.
Match preview
© Imago
Heading into the Sunshine Double, Dimitrov's season had been punctuated by injury problems, which had prevented the 33-year-old from claiming consecutive wins since the season-opening tournament in Brisbane.
The former world No. 3 notched wins over Yannick Hanfmann, Aleksandar Vukic and Jordan Thompson to begin 2025 with three triumphs on the bounce.
However, that success over Thompson began a four-match losing run for the nine-time ATP champion, who was forced into early retirement in three of said disappointments to Jiri Lehecka in Brisbane, Francesco Passaro at the Australian Open and recently against Christopher O'Connell in Dubai.
Victories over Nuno Borges and Monfils in the Californian desert have taken the Bulgarian to 5-4 for the season, and Dimitrov aims to record a sixth victory in 2025 and a third on the spin over Wednesday's opponent.
Having played close to faultless tennis to dispatch Alcaraz in Miami 12 months ago, the 33-year-old will look to execute as commendably, while hoping his body does not break down against the two-time champion.
© Imago
Alcaraz's bid to emulate Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as the only men to claim three consecutive titles at Indian Wells continued after the Spanish star notched a 14th successive victory in the desert over Denis Shapovalov on Monday.
That 6-2, 6-4 triumph was the 21-year-old's 18th victory in 20 matches at the ATP 1000 event, a tally of wins outdone by only Jimmy Connors (19) since the event's first edition in 1976, and the 17-time titlist aims for a 19th triumph.
Undefeated at the BNP Paribas since falling to countryman Rafael Nadal in the 2022 semi-final, Alcaraz's only other defeat at the tournament came on his debut against Andy Murray a year earlier; the in-form sensation looks to avoid a last-16 exit.
Monday's victory over Shapovalov saw the highest-ranked player left in the men's draw improve to 13-2 for the season, with a quarter-final loss to Lehecka in Doha the only loss the world No. 3 has suffered in 10 matches.
With the former world No. 1 in fine form and facing a relatively undercooked opponent, Alcaraz will back himself to end a losing run against Dimitrov on Wednesday.
Tournament so far
Grigor Dimitrov:
First round: Bye
Second round: vs. Nuno Borges 6-3 6-4
Third round: vs. Gael Monfils 7-6[4] 4-6 7-6[2]
Carlos Alcaraz:
First round: Bye
Second round: vs. Quentin Halys 6-4 6-2
Third round: vs. Denis Shapovalov 6-2 6-4
Head To Head
Miami (2024) - Quarter-final: Dimitrov 6-2 6-4
Shanghai Masters (2023) - Round of 16: Dimitrov 5-7 6-2 6-4
Queen's Club (2023) - Quarter-final: Alcaraz 6-4 6-4
Madrid Masters (2023) - Round of 32: Alcaraz 6-2 7-5
Paris Masters (2022) - Round of 16: Alcaraz 6-1 6-3
Although Alcaraz led 3-0 in their head-to-head, Dimitrov clinched victories in Shanghai (2023) and Miami (2024) to move within one triumph of the Spaniard.
Interestingly, the Bulgarian has edged the 21-year-old in consecutive hard-court meetings on the ATP Tour, and the veteran aims to record a third win on the surface over the 17-time ATP champion.
Alcaraz's outstanding record at Indian Wells is highlighted by his only losses against two of the 'Big Four' — Murray (2021) and Nadal (2022) — and the Spanish star aims to clinch a 19th win.
The young player will be favourite against Dimitrov, who enters Wednesday having lost four of his last six encounters against top-10 opponents (43-89 overall).
However, the veteran has notched five wins in nine matches with such opponents in the last year, a statistic boosted by claiming three consecutive triumphs over the elite players in Miami last year, including a comfortable straight-set win over Alcaraz in Florida.
We say: Alcaraz to win in two sets
While a peak-level Dimitrov possesses the skill set to trouble Alcaraz, the veteran has yet to find any rhythm this season, highlighted by an injury-disrupted 2025.
Thus, Alcaraz is expected to avoid a third defeat against the 33-year-old in Wednesday's fourth round to record a 14th win this season, a 15th straight triumph at Indian Wells and 19th overall at the nine-time titlist's expense.
