Dimitrov’s ‘belief’ wins him Acapulco title

Bulgarian edges out Anderson to improve head-to-head record.

ACAPULCO: Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov edged out South Africa’s Kevin Anderson 7-6 (7-1), 3-6, 7-6 (7-5) in a three-hour slugfest to claim his second career title with victory in the Acapulco International final on Sunday.

The 22-year-old, who won the Stockholm Open in October for his first title victory, claimed the first-set in a tiebreak but Anderson broke in the second game of the next and comfortably held serve to level the match at one set apiece.

Anderson carried the momentum into the third with another early break but handed back the initiative with a double fault on break point in the eighth game of the deciding set.

Dimitrov, who beat Wimbledon champion Andy Murray in the semi-finals, held on to take the decider into a tiebreak and completed the victory on his first match point to improve his head-to-head record against the South African to 4-1.

“Belief was the only thing that kept me [going] today [Sunday],” Dimitrov told reporters. “I didn’t think I was going to come back after last night’s match,” he said referring to his semi-final win that finished after 2:30am on Saturday. “I felt really bad after the match. However, my body is holding up for now and it will be great to get some rest.”

Anderson ‘disappointed’ with loss 

It was a second heartbreaking loss in as many weeks for Anderson, who lost to Marin Cilic in the Delray Beach Open final last Sunday.

“Right now it’s really disappointing... to come so close,” said Anderson. “It was possibly a match where I felt I was going to get it.

“I’m going to have to move on, need to take positives and take belief.”

Meanwhile in the women’s tournament played at the same venue, top-seeded Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova battled past American Christina McHale 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 6-4 to win her fourth career title.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 3^rd, 2014.

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