AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
There were fireworks in Indian Wells, California, as Thursday’s slate of BNP Paribas Open quarterfinals were filled with fireworks with comebacks, upsets and historic wins.
23rd-seeded Grigor Dimitrov continued his run of upsets with a three-set comeback win over No. 8 Hubert Hurkacz. No. 21 Cameron Norrie took down No. 11 Diego Schwartzman in straight sets. On the women’s side, No. 21 Paula Badosa upset No. 10 Angelique Kerber, and No. 12 Ons Jabeur made history in her win over No. 18 Anett Kontaveit.
You can take a look at a breakdown of that match below and the highlights from Thursday alongside a rundown of the day’s scores.
Men’s Singles Results: Quarterfinals
No. 23 Grigor Dimitrov def. No. 8 Hubert Hurkacz 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(2)
No. 21 Cameron Norrie def. No. 11 Diego Schwartzman 6-0, 6-2
Women’s Singles Results: Quarterfinals
No. 21 Paula Badosa def. No. 10 Angelique Kerber 6-4, 7-5
No. 12 Ons Jabeur def. No. 18 Anett Kontaveit 7-5, 6-3
Recap
Dimitrov and Hurkacz played an exciting match full of highlights. After Hurkacz took the first set 6-3, Dimitrov upped the intensity in the second set. But Hurkacz got the momentum back with this point:
ATP Tour @atptour
Insane & incredible defence. ???? <br><br>Awesome tennis from <a href=”https://twitter.com/HubertHurkacz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@HubertHurkacz</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/BNPPO21?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#BNPPO21</a> <a href=”https://t.co/qrxTIIkpiF”>pic.twitter.com/qrxTIIkpiF</a>
Dimitrov had to settle down, committing two double-faults in each of the first two sets. He managed to save two break points at 3-3, 15-40 in the second set before closing it out 6-4 to force a deciding third set for the second straight day.
Dimitrov jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the third set but failed to serve out the match as Hurkacz stormed back and forced a tiebreaker. But he ran out of gas as the tiebreaker was all Dimitrov, who took it 7-2.
It was the 100th ATP Masters 1000 win of the 30-year-old Dimitrov’s 13-year career.
ATP Tour @atptour
100th ATP Masters victory ????<a href=”https://twitter.com/GrigorDimitrov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@GrigorDimitrov</a> is into the FINAL FOUR at the <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/BNPPO21?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#BNPPO21</a>. <a href=”https://t.co/30eqxZ33Tz”>pic.twitter.com/30eqxZ33Tz</a>
“I stayed in it. Especially after that first set it was very hard for me to find my range today,” Dimitrov said in his on-court interview. “I was a little bit tired from yesterday and didn’t feel I really had enough time to rest and push, but I still felt and I knew I had something in me.
“I knew that I had to step up and be a little bit more aggressive,” he continued. “I started reading his serve a little bit more and I had a few more looks. I kept trying and believing, and I think that made the difference.”
After upsetting No. 6 seed Casper Ruud in the round of 16 on Wednesday, Schwartzman just couldn’t match Norrie’s energy on Thursday and fell behind early on his way to getting blanked in the first set.
Norrie has shown that he doesn’t take his foot off the gas, winning 37 of 41 matches this season when he takes the first set. He took the second set 6-2 as Schwartzman couldn’t get anything going against the 26-year-old and looked out of sorts at times.
“Everything went my way today,” Norrie said in his on-court interview. “Right from the beginning I was timing the ball well. I thought I was in for a long match because the previous times we have played have been so long and so physical, so I was ready for that.”
For Norrie, Thursday’s win adds to a breakout year as he reached his first Masters 1000 semifinal.
“I have been pretty consistent this year,” Norrie added. “I think I am really doing the fundamentals well on serve and return and playing the big points better. I have been a little more aggressive and feel I am learning more as I go along and becoming more experienced.”
Dimitrov and Norrie had faced each other just once before, with Norrie coming out on top in straight sets at this year’s Miami Open.
Badosa powered past Kerber in straight sets to become the first Spanish woman since 2003 to reach the BNP Paribas Open semifinals.
After a 6-4 win in the first set, Badosa jumped out to a 5-2 lead and looked to be in total control. But Kerber didn’t give up, holding off Badosa from winning match point twice and battling back to a 5-5 tie. Badosa then settled down and won the next two games to avoid a tiebreaker.
TennisNow @Tennis_Now
She finds a way! <br><br>Just about 20 minutes after her first two match points, Paula Badosa converts her third to defeat Angelique Kerber 6-4, 7-5. <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/BNPPO21?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#BNPPO21</a> <a href=”https://t.co/aC7tK3aMeV”>pic.twitter.com/aC7tK3aMeV</a>
The 12th-seeded Jabeur was the only higher-seeded player to avoid an upset Thursday, topping No. 18 Kontaveit in straight sets and ending Kontaveit’s nine-match and 18-set winning streaks. With the win, Jabeur became the first Arab tennis player, male or female, ever to earn a spot in the top 10 in the world rankings.
Billie Jean King @BillieJeanKing
Congratulations to <a href=”https://twitter.com/Ons_Jabeur?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@Ons_Jabeur</a>, who has moved on to the semifinals <a href=”https://twitter.com/BNPPARIBASOPEN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@BNPPARIBASOPEN</a>. <br><br>Her win tonight is historic, as she becomes the first Arab person to break into the top 10. ????<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/TennisParadise?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#TennisParadise</a> <a href=”https://t.co/J4MEWgQRbo”>https://t.co/J4MEWgQRbo</a>
It was Jabeur’s 48th match win in 2021, which leads all WTA players. She will be playing in the semifinals of a WTA 1000 event for the first time in her career.
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