The baseline became the best seat in the house in the ninth game of the final set as Grigor Dimitrov stumbled to the court chasing a Tomas Berdych shot, fell flat on his butt yet somehow managed to block back a high forehand from the seat of his shorts. That shot symbolized the spirit of this match — even when Dimitrov was down he kept his head up and sometimes showed stirring improvisational skills that left the big-hitting Czech shaking his head.
Winless in nine prior matches vs. Top 10 opponents, the 101st-ranked Bulgarian displayed some slick stick skills and timely serving to topple the seventh-seeded Berdych, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 at the Sony Ericsson Open. It was a coming of age moment for the 20-year-old Dimitrov, who arrived in South Florida with a 2-4 record clinging to the fringes of the Top 100. Dimitrov, who edged Juan Ignacio Chela in the second round, scored his second straight win over a seeded player.
Bursting out of the box quickly with an ace, Dimitrov denied a break point in the third game when Berdych netted a return off a second serve. Berdych, who is usually proficient at punishing opponent's second serves, could not capitalize on nine double faults from his opponent as Dimitrov won 50 percent of his second-serve points. Dimitrov calls his one-handed backhand down the line his best shot and he fired a bullet backhand return at Berdych's feet to break for 5-3. Dimitrov drilled a 117 MPH ace to seal the 42-minute first set in style, hitting 11 winners compared to 4 for Berdych.
Five-time Miami champion Serena Williams, who has reportedly dated Dimitrov, was watching from the stands and had to be pleased with what she saw, but Berdych began to find the range on his flat ground strokes. The 2010 Miami finalist exploited two Dimitrov double faults to break in the second game of the second set. Berdych fought off break points in the fifth game, holding with a crosscourt forehand winner for 4-1. Berdych, who won 16 of 19 points played on his first serve in the second set, reeled off eight straight points and collecting the second set on yet another Dimitrov double fault.
Asserting his authority, Berdych surrendered just three points on serve in establishing a 3-2 lead. In the sixth game, Berdych had a break point but missed a forehand down the line and erupted in a primal scream unleashed into the palm of his hand — it did not mute his angst much. Dimitrov beat Berdych in three sets in their lone prior meeting and watching his fluid all-court style you can see why he poses problems for the power merchant. When he's on Dimitrov can produce running drives that flow like the right answers, but he's prone to self-indulgent shot making and doesn't always play the score wisely.
Still, Dimitrov showed his grit denying two more break points then delivering a second serve ace to hold for 4-4. With pressure constricting his right arm, Berdych sent a wild forehand wide to give Dimitrov a 5-4 lead. Berdych's backhand completely deserted him in the final game as Dimitrov closed his biggest win with a joyous smile and will face No. 9 seed Janko Tipsarevic next.