Goffin Finally Stops Dimitrov, Thiem Upset In Rotterdam; Tsonga v Berdych Saturday

Upsets hit the Rotterdam event Friday during quarterfinals. Favorites Grigor Dimitrov and Dominic Thiem were both bounced out of the indoor event.

The hot-handed Dimitrov had won 16 of 17 on the year including two straight over David Goffin entering today. But after losses at the Australian and Sofia last week, the Belgian finally got the better of Dimitrov with a 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 victory.

“It was an amazing match, from the first point until the last, with great intensity,” said Goffin. “I decided to be really aggressive from the first ball. That was the key, to show him I was ready to be aggressive. He was really solid in the second set, so it was hard to maintain that level, but in the end I found my best tennis to finish the match.”

In the semifinals, Goffin will face qualifier Pierre-Hugues Hebert who stunned the reeling Dominic Thiem 6-4, 7-6(3). This was Thiem’s 10th straight tournament without reaching the semifinals.

In the other semi, it’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga against Tomas Berdych. Tsonga edged top-seeded Marin Cilic in two tiebreaks while Berdych blasted past defending champion Martin Klizan 6-3, 6-3.

Berdych leads Tsonga 8-3 in their head-to-head.

“Tomas is very consistent, with a full game: very consistent and covers the court well,” said Tsonga.

“The best strategy is to play well,” Berdych said. “My own game will be extremely important tomorrow, as I will try to dictate from the very beginning. I need to be focused from the first point.”