Fourth seeded and world number 20 Grigor Dimitrov will be up against fifth seeded and 19th ranked Milos Raonic in this quarterfinal fixture of the 2020 Antwerp Open. The match is likely to begin at around 8:00 pm local time (3:00 pm BST or 2:00 pm Eastern Time) on Friday, October 23. Get the live streaming options of this Grigor Dimitrov v Milos Raonic match along with its preview, head to head, and tips here.
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Grigor Dimitrov v Milos Raonic Head to Head
This will be the seventh meeting between the two players.
Grigor Dimitrov brings a 4-2 head-to-head advantage coming into this match. He’s won all three of their encounters that have been on hard courts, and one of the two that they have played on clay courts.
Milos Raonic’s two victories over Dimitrov have been on a clay court and an indoor hard court. Additionally, he won their last ever meeting in the 2018 Madrid Open.
Also Read:
Dimitrov Ranked As A Surprise Outsider For The Semifinals
Dimitrov enters this clash as the bookies’ underdog, something that someone with his prowess and experience isn’t normally used to. But taking into account his mixed form this year that has seen him get to the quarterfinals only twice before this and advanced in only one of those occasions to a Mexican Open Semifinal finish, it soon becomes obvious why he enters this match as the ranked outsider.
Additionally, considering the great run of form that his opponent is in, which has seen Raonic pass him in the ATP rankings recently; the bookies’ choice makes even more sense.
His second-round match against Pablo Andújar exemplified his mixed form perfectly. He was expected to cruise in that match but had a slow start and was forced to chase the tie after he lost the first set. He took control of the second set but had a nervier third set that saw him have to curtail Andújar’s resurgence and prevent a late-set comeback.
If he’s to get through this meeting with Raonic, he’ll have to eliminate such costly mistakes. They might have not made him pay in that match against Andújar, but they had previously proven costly and given him early eliminations in the Cincinnati Masters and in the US Open, two competitions that he had been expected to dominate.
If he manages to tone down his mistakes, he should be confident because he’s up against a player that he knows too well, one whom he’s already proven to have the ability to overcome his dominant serves.
Despite his mixed form for the year and his massive underdog tag, Dimitrov should still be confident of taking the match to the Canadian.
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Raonic Looking to Serve Himself a Semifinal Spot
Recent Cincinnati Masters finalist Milos Raonic is having a good run of form. He had an entertaining second-round match against Cameron Norrie that saw him win 7-5 7-6, which was his sixth straight sets win in eight matches. As usual, he relied on his strong serve and held his serve throughout the entire match.
However, as with his previous match against Aljaz Bedene, it became abundantly clear that he struggles when he isn’t serving, something that Dimitrov can find a way of exploiting.
Raonic will also be looking to reach his fourth semifinal of the year. He did so in the Cincinnati Masters, in which he reached the final, the Delray Beach Open, and in the recently concluded St. Petersburg Open.
Tied on 8 career titles with his quarterfinal foe, he’ll be hoping to go further than he did in any of those competitions and win his first title for the year; therefore edging Dimitrov on that record, as well as his recent galloping of him in the ATP rankings.
But even though the bookies have him as their undisputed favorite, he’s had recent trouble with Dimitrov which could play into this match. Therefore, as much as Raonic is in great form, I still do expect a really close affair between the two.
Dimitrov v Raonic Prediction and Tip
With how Raonic struggles when he isn’t serving, and with how tight both their matches often end up being, the wisest choice seems to be in the games or sets market. Over 19.5 or 20.5 games could be of some value, but for now, I’ll stick to my belief that the match will go all the way.
Tip: Three sets in the match: 6/4 (bet365)
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The Antwerp Open 2020 will be played from October 19 to October 25. You can watch & bet on the Antwerp Open here. Get your latest premium tennis predictions here.
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