Dimitrov beats Garin to reach Paris Masters semi-finals

Paris - Grigor Dimitrov saw off unseeded Chilean Cristian Garin 6-2, 7-5 on Friday to set up a Paris Masters semi-final against either Novak Djokovic or Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Former world No 3 Dimitrov last reached the semis at a Masters tournament in Monte Carlo in 2018, but has rediscovered his form in recent weeks after heading into the US Open ranked 78th.

The Bulgarian became the lowest-ranked player to reach a Grand Slam semi-final since 2008 at Flushing Meadows before losing to Daniil Medvedev.

Dimitrov has now won three consecutive matches in straight sets at Bercy, where he had lost in the third round in each of the previous six years.

World No 42 Garin, playing in his first Masters quarter-final, served for the second set at 5-4, but the 28-year-old Dimitrov reeled off three straight games to claim an impressive victory.

He has only won one of nine previous meetings with world No 1 Djokovic, but has never played against Greek star Tsitsipas.

Results from the fifth day of the ATP Paris Masters on Friday (x denotes seeding):

Quarter-finals

Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) bt Cristian Garin (CHI) 6-2, 7-5