Indian Wells 2021: Daniil Medvedev vs Grigor Dimitrov preview, head-to-head & prediction | BNP Paribas Open
Match details
Fixture: (1) Daniil Medvedev vs (23) Grigor Dimitrov
Date: 13 October 2021
Tournament: BNP Paribas Open 2021
Round: Fourth round (Round of 16)
Venue: Indian Wells, USA
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Hardcourt
Prize money: $8,761,725
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Daniil Medvedev vs Grigor Dimitrov preview
Top seed Daniil Medvedev continued his fine run of form on Sunday, defeating Filip Krajinovic 6-2, 7-6(1) in the third round of the 2021 Indian Wells Masters. The Russian will next face Grigor Dimitrov, who knocked out Reilly Opelka 6-3, 6-4.
Medvedev was quick off the blocks against Krajinovic, despite the tricky weather conditions. The top seed dealt with the cold and wind pretty well, although he didn't enjoy as much success on his serve as he usually does; Medvedev won 70% of the points on his first serve and 63% on the second.
That said, the reigning US Open champion just conceded 19 points on his delivery overall, which is an impressively low number.
Medvedev struck 28 winners and coughed up 16 unforced errors in the match. Krajinovic, on the other hand, managed 15 winners but leaked 20 unforced errors.
Most ATP singles wins in 2021:
52 - Tsitsipas
50 - Medvedev 👏
49 - Ruud
47 - Rublev
46 - Zverev
44 - Djokovic
@DaniilMedwed picks up his 50th win of 2021 and reaches his first #BNPPO21 round of 16. https://t.co/2ANmSBAMEp
Despite going down by a set and a break, Krajinovic responded strongly to build a 4-2 lead for himself in the second set. However, Medvedev fought back to draw level before romping home in the ensuing tiebreak.
The 25-year-old now has 50 wins for the season, which is the second-highest tally on tour behind Stefanos Tsitsipas (52).
Medvedev's next opponent, Grigor Dimitrov, had a far easier time on the court against Reilly Opelka. Dimitrov exacted revenge on the American in fine fashion, after losing to him in Toronto a few weeks ago.
The Bulgarian changed his tactics on this occasion, standing closer to the baseline than he usually does. That helped him nullify the angles and bounce that Opelka usually generates on his serve.
Dimitrov not only won 83% of his service points, but also 38% of the points played on the American's serve. The 30-year-old didn't face a break point throughout the encounter, and managed to break Opelka's serve four times.
Daniil Medvedev vs Grigor Dimitrov head-to-head
Daniil Medvedev leads Grigor Dimitrov by a margin of 3-1 in the head-to-head. Dimitrov had beaten the Russian in their first-ever meeting on tour, at the 2017 Queen's Club Championships. But since then, the Bulgarian has failed to win a single set against Medvedev.
The Russian recently accounted for Dimitrov at Cincinnati, where he beat him 6-3, 6-3.
Daniil Medvedev vs Grigor Dimitrov prediction
Daniil Medvedev is in the middle of the best phase of his career, and is widely considered the joint-best hardcourter in the world at the moment (alongside Novak Djokovic). The Russian has lost just five times on the surface this year, with only one of them coming during the American hardcourt series.
Grigor Dimitrov's inconsistency means he is unlikely to keep up the pressure on his red-hot opponent. The Bulgarian did show against Opelka that he is willing to make tactical changes to score a win, but that may not be enough.
Prediction: Daniil Medvedev to win in three sets.
Whatever it takes 😆
#BNPPO21 https://t.co/zaj7xTgnWO