Wimbledon: 'Baby Federer' Grigor Dimitrov strolls into third round with impressive win over Marcos Baghdatis

The Bulgarian player has a good record at Wimbledon having reached the semi-finals of the tournament in 2014, and made light work of Baghdatis

Toby Davis
Wimbledon
Thursday 06 July 2017 09:26 EDT
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Grigor Dimitrov gave an exhibition of his enormous talent on Thursday, striding emphatically into the third round at Wimbledon with a 6-3 6-2 6-1 win over Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis.

The 13th-seeded Bulgarian looked less like his "Baby Federer" nickname and more like the Swiss maestro all grown up as he made light work of Baghdatis, a former semi-finalist at the All England Club.

The 26-year-old, who also reached the last four in 2014, has perhaps struggled to live up to his promise as a youngster.

Yet, having reached the semis at the Australian Open earlier this year before losing to Rafa Nadal in a titanic five-set battle, he showed on a sun-baked Court Two that he has the potential and the game to trouble the established favourites.

The Bulgarian looked intensely focussed as he raced through his opening four service games conceding just two points, before breaking for a 5-3 lead and then wrapping up the first set in the next game with his third ace.

Dimitrov is through to the third round for the fourth successive year
Dimitrov is through to the third round for the fourth successive year (Getty)

It was then a case of simply tightening his stranglehold, which he did by breaking Baghdatis in the first game of the second and again in the seventh, eventually taking the set after a behind-the-back trickshot.

Dimitrov did not have everything his own way in the third, and was forced to save seven break points, but still broke three times himself to claim an emphatic win, which he sealed with a superb diving volley after one hour and 42 minutes.

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