WHAT HAPPENED: 2019 US Open semifinalist and No. 15 seed Grigor Dimitrov got his 2021 campaign off to a solid start, defeating wild card and 2021 NCAA singles champion Sam Riffice in straight sets, 6-1, 7-6, 6-3, to advance to the second round of the 2021 US Open.
Riffice, who competes for the University of Florida, was playing in his first-ever tour level match, and appeared to be battling his nerves early on. Dimitrov raced out to a 3-0 lead, as Riffice struggled to handle his opponent’s slice and committed too many errors. Although the American was able to show off his impressive backhand and lob, he could do very little to bother Dimitrov, who won 90% of his first serve points and sealed the set in just 27 minutes with a backhand passing shot.
Riffice settled in the second. He came back from a break down and weathered some of Dimitrov’s trademark shotmaking (including a backhand down the line winner on the run) to hold serve through the remainder of the set. The problem for the American was that Dimitrov’s serving stats stayed at a high level, and Riffice could make no inroads on the return. That continued into the tiebreak, as Dimitrov proved too solid and claimed a two-set lead.
Dimitrov again broke his opponent early in the third, and then hit a backhand from outside the doubles alley to take a 3-0 lead. Ultimately, Riffice couldn’t find a way to break back, though he did save three match points on his own serve while serving at 2-5. Dimitrov eventually served it out to advance to the second round in just over two hours.
WHAT IT MEANS: Dimitrov now makes his seventh appearance in the second round of the US Open and matches his 2020 result. He’ll next face the winner of the match between Radu Albot and Alexei Popyrin. Dimitrov leads the head-to-head against both players, defeating Popyrin in the one match they played earlier this year in the Round of 16 at the Australian Open, and beating Albot in their sole match, at the 2020 ATP Cup.
MATCH POINT: How good was Dimitrov’s first serve? He lost just five points on that shot the entire match. He did, however, miss two tweeners.
