Antwerp 2020: Grigor Dimitrov vs Milos Raonic Preview, Head-to-Head and Prediction for ATP European Open
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Fourth seed Grigor Dimitrov will take on fifth seed Milos Raonic in a quarterfinal showdown at the 2020 European Open in Antwerp, Belgium. This will be the sixth official meeting between the two players; Dimitrov holds a slim 3-2 head-to-head lead over the Canadian.
Match details
- Fixture: Grigor Dimitrov vs Milos Raonic
- Date: 23 October 2020
- Tournament: European Open 2020
- Round: Quarterfinal
- Venue: Antwerp, Belgium
- Category: ATP 250
- Surface: Indoor hardcourt
- Prize money Approx. €394,800
Grigor Dimitrov vs Milos Raonic: Match Preview
Very rarely would you find two contemporary players with a similar career trajectory and similar statistics; Grigor Dimitrov and Milos Raonic happen to be two of them! Both of them turned pro in the same year, have a neck-and-neck world ranking, and have almost similar win-loss records in the 2020 season.
Bulgarian World No. 20 Grigor Dimitrov hasn’t been performing at his best since hitting a career-high ranking of 3 in 2017. Holding a 15-9 record and having won no titles this year, his best performances came at the Acapulco Open and the Rome Masters. There, he reached the semifinals and quarterfinals respectively. He also made it to the fourth round at Roland Garros, losing in straight sets to Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Being the fourth seed, he received a bye into the second round of the tournament, which he won against Spaniard Pablo Andujar in three sets.
His opponent, Canadian Milos Raonic was also a former World No. 3, hitting the mark in 2016. With a 17-8 record, the world no. 19 has also lost out on titles this season. However, his performances have been encouraging considering his injury-prone body.
Earlier in the year, he qualified for the quarters of the Australian Open 2020, where he lost to the eventual title winner, Novak Djokovic. His best performance came at the Cincinnati Masters where he secured a finals spot. However, he ultimately lost again to Djokovic despite taking the first set. More recently, he made the semifinals of the St. Petersburg Open, losing in three sets to Borna Coric.
Raonic’s road to the quarters was a little longer. He defeated Slovenian Aljas Bedene in straight sets in the first round and talented Brit Cameron Norrie in the second round.
Grigor Dimitrov vs Milos Raonic: Head-to-Head
The two players boast of 5 previous meetings between them. Their first meeting was in the Stockholm Open quarterfinals, a match that Raonic comfortably won. The next three meetings however were taken by Dimitrov, defeating Raonic twice in Brisbane and once at the Australian Open. Their most recent meeting was at the 2018 Madrid Masters, which Raonic won in three sets.
This will be the players’ sixth meeting. The head-to-head stands at 3-2 to Dimitrov.
Grigor Dimitrov vs Milos Raonic: Match Prediction
It is very hard to predict such an evenly-contested matchup like this. However, this is Dimitrov’s first tournament since the French Open while Raonic has already played in a few hardcourt tournaments (he skipped the French Open).
Raonic’s big serve and good overall gameplay might grant him an edge over the Bulgarian. However, Dimitrov’s powerful backhands and quick court movements will prove to be a test against the Canadian.
Match Prediction: Milos Raonic to win in three sets against Grigor Dimitrov.
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