Germany’s Alexander Zverev will face Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov in the third round of the 2023 US Open. The match will be played on Saturday, August 2, 2023.

We have an intriguing battle of seeded players who are both looking to reach the second week of the 2023 US Open. Alexander Zverev, the 12th seed, downed countryman Daniel Altmaier 7-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in close to four hours of intense tennis. Zverev needed to be patient throughout as his return game was all over the place during the match. Despite manufacturing an astonishing 26 break points in the match, a wasteful Zverev only converted six of them. But it proved sufficient in getting the result he desperately needed to return to the world’s Top 10. The German also significantly boosted his chances of qualifying for the ATP Finals later this season as he currently occupies the eighth and final spot in the ATP Race.

Grigor Dimitrov, meanwhile, knocked out 2012 US Open champion Andy Murray in straight sets. As fellow Brits continued to rise to the occasion, Murray exited the tournament on a whimper as he was outclassed by Dimitrov’s silky slice and fantastic court awareness. The Buglarian’s one-handed slice clearly took the sting out of the ball and Murray was pinned behind the baseline most of the time as Dimitrov made it a physical contest. The presence of Dani Vallverdu and Jamie Delgado in Dimitrov’s player box (two of Murray’s former coaches) certainly helped his cause there. But it was an afternoon when Dimitrov’s plan and execution were top-notch. 

Alexander Zverev owns a 5-1 head-to-head over Grigor Dimitrov. The Bulgarian, 32, scored his only win in the series nine years ago on the indoor hard courts of Basel when Zverev was still an unheralded teenager. The German has dominated this matchup, dropping just two sets in his five wins. They played each other just recently at the Cincinnati Masters where Zverev totally demolished Dimitrov 6-2, 6-2. I could see the Bulgarian having a lot more presence and control in his ground game here than in Ohio as the balls have a bit more fluff in them. Still, this match should be on Zverev’s racket and he should be the one to dictate the outcome.