Dimitrov disappoints, Mensik advances to the quarters

Is Grigor Dimitrov slipping back into his old ways?

Having finished the 2023 season at a very high level, he has been doing very well this season.

Back in the top 10 and winning several very important matches, the Bulgarian seemed to be back at the top of world tennis.

However, over the last few weeks, without playing badly, he seems to have lost his solidity, particularly on the important points, and has already been trapped several times by players within his reach.

This was once again the case on Wednesday.

Facing the promising Jakub Mensik in the last 16 of the Shanghai Masters 1000, Dimitrov lost a match he should have won (6-3, 3-6, 6-4).

Faced with a determined Czech, he made a series of avoidable errors.

Rather dominant in the exchange, he lost points on several occasions on shots that could not have been missed.

Disappointingly, he allowed the gifted 19-year-old to qualify for the quarter-finals, where he will face Djokovic.