Indian Wells, USA — Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov is set to start his quest for the Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells from the second round, following the release of the tournament draw.
Seeded 14th, Dimitrov will face the winner of the match between France’s Arthur Rinderknech and Portugal’s Nuno Borges, scheduled for tomorrow.
The Bulgarian star, who recently moved up one spot to world number 15 in the ATP rankings with 2,745 points, has a promising record against Rinderknech.
Dimitrov has defeated the Frenchman in two of their three previous meetings, including a 6:3, 7:6(3) victory in the quarterfinals of the Marseille tournament and a closely contested 6:2, 4:6, 7:6(5) win in the opening round of the Paris Masters.
However, the 32-year-old has had a less favorable encounter with Borges, who outlasted him in four sets at last year’s Australian Open—7:6(3), 4:6, 2:6, 6:7(6).
A successful opening match could see Dimitrov set up a third-round clash with American Sebastian Korda, followed by a potential round-of-16 showdown against reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz.
The Spanish world number two, who clinched last year’s title at Indian Wells, is set to start his campaign against either Quentin Halys or a qualifier, with Canada’s Denis Shapovalov likely awaiting him in the third round.
In the same half of the draw, world number one Novak Djokovic is scheduled to begin his journey in the second round against either Nick Kyrgios or a qualifier.
The Serbian star, aiming to extend his record of Masters 1000 titles, could meet Alcaraz in a highly anticipated quarterfinal clash.
Meanwhile, top seed Alexander Zverev will open against either Tallon Griekspoor or Miomir Kecmanovic, and 2022 champion Taylor Fritz will face either Sebastian Baez or a qualifier.
Dimitrov’s preparation for Indian Wells included a brief appearance at the Dubai Championships, where he was forced to withdraw after one set in his first-round match against Australian Christopher O’Connell due to physical discomfort.
Despite the setback, the Bulgarian remains optimistic about his chances at Indian Wells, a tournament where he has previously reached the semifinals.
Elsewhere in Bulgarian tennis, Alexander Donski has made a notable climb in the ATP rankings, rising 117 spots to world number 650 following his singles title victory at the ITF tournament in Pretoria, South Africa.
On the women’s side, Viktoriya Tomova continues to lead as Bulgaria’s top female player, moving up two places to rank 63rd with 981 points.
Gergana Topalova holds the second spot at 339th, closely followed by Liya Karatancheva at 343rd and Isabella Shinikova, who has re-entered the top 400. The most significant progress was made by Elizara Yaneva, who surged 169 places to 768th.
At the top of the WTA rankings, Aryna Sabalenka maintains her position as world number one with 9,076 points, with Poland’s Iga Swiatek leading the list with 9,785 points and American Coco Gauff in third place with 6,333 points.
With a challenging draw ahead, Dimitrov will look to capitalize on his improved ranking and past experiences to make a deep run at Indian Wells.