“Love Carlos Alcaraz, but excited for Grigor Dimitrov”- Tracy Austin reacts as Bulgarian inches closer to re-entering top 10 after Miami Open QF win 

Tracy Austin reacted to Grigor Dimitrov inching closer towards Top 10 rankings after the Bulgarian's quarterfinal victory against top seed Carlos Alcaraz at the 2024 Miami Open.

Dimitrov received a bye in the first round at the 2024 Miami Open. In the second round against Alejandro Tabilo, the Chilean was inching close to victory being a set up and 5-2 up in the second set tiebreak, but the Bulgarian won five straight points to win the set and ultimately the match 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 6-2.

Yannick Hanfmann stood no chance in the third round as Dimitrov defeated him 6-1, 6-0. In the fourth round, the Bulgarian defeated Hubert Hurkacz in a comeback 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(3) victory.

In the quarterfinals, he defeated the top seed Carlos Alcaraz 6-2, 6-4, and will now face Alexander Zverev for a place in the final.

Dimitrov's deep run at the 2024 Miami Open has ensured that he moves closer to the top 10 in the ATP rankings. Should he beat Zverev, he will re-enter the top 10 for the first time since October 2018.

Tracy Austin, a two-time Grand Slam champion, expressed her delight over Dimitrov's rise in rankings. She mentioned that she loved Alcaraz but was equally excited for the Bulgarian.

"Back in the top 10 @GrigorDimitrov. Love Carlitos but excited for Grigor-such a nice guy!" Tracy Austin wrote on her X( formerly Twitter) account.

Grigor Dimitrov: "Against Carlos Alcaraz, you cannot really let him hit the ball"

Grigor Dimitrov celebrates his win against Carlos Alcaraz at the 2024 Miami Open QF

Grigor Dimitrov praised Carlos Alcaraz after their quarterfinal encounter in the post-match press conference. He said it was a great opportunity to play against a player 12 years younger than him.

"Carlos is such, you know, I always call him like a firecracker. He's amazing. I love watching him play. Honestly, I love watching him playing, I love practicing against him, competing against him. I mean, I'm 12 years older than him. It's honestly a lot of fun for me to challenge myself. It's a great opportunity for me," Grigor Dimitrov said in the post-match press conference.

The Bulgarian laid out his gameplan against the World No. 2 and said that the key was to keep the ball away from Alcaraz.

Against him, you cannot really let him hit the ball. I think we saw what happened even when I was up a break in the second set of the game he broke me. It was straight up four forehands. Absolutely nothing I could have done," Dimitrov said.