Grigor Dimitrov has beaten Matteo Berrettini in a five-set thriller at Wimbledon to book his place in the fourth round, and the 35-year-old Bulgarian says he is determined to rewrite the ending of his own Wimbledon story after three straight years of falling at the same stage.
A painful exit still fresh in his mind
Twelve months ago, Dimitrov walked off Centre Court in tears after a heartbreaking collapse against world number one Jannik Sinner ended any hope of a stunning upset. The Bulgarian admitted he has spent the year since wondering what might have happened had things gone differently that night, but said he was determined not to let the memory hold him back this time.
"After the way I exited last year, I'll never know what would've happened," Dimitrov said. "But guess what? This year I'm back here and I'm able to rewrite everything again."
He added a rare moment of vulnerability when reflecting on what drives him at this stage of his career. "I'm just trying to be completely honest here and vulnerable with you guys, it's not about the winning, it's just for me to overcome every obstacle that I have in front of me," he said.
Two sets up, then a fight to the finish
Dimitrov looked set for a routine straight-sets win after racing through the first two sets against Berrettini, only for the Italian to drag him back into the contest. The match eventually went the distance, with Dimitrov closing it out 6-3 6-4 3-6 5-7 6-3.
"I enjoyed it too much, that's why I wanted to play five sets," Dimitrov joked afterwards. "It's truly amazing to be back here, I'm just so happy. I just wanted to come and compete again and again and again, as much as I could, there's something special in the air out here so thank you."
The win takes Dimitrov into the last 16 at the All England Club for only the sixth time in 16 appearances at the tournament. He has gone further than the fourth round on just one occasion, reaching the semi-finals back in 2014.
Zverev cruises past Giron to build on Paris momentum
French Open champion Alexander Zverev kept alive his hopes of adding a second Grand Slam title to his collection, beating American Marcos Giron 6-2 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 on Court One to reach round four.
Zverev, who has 42 ATP Tour titles to his name but lost his first three Grand Slam finals, is looking to take advantage of the absence of two-time champion Carlos Alcaraz from this year's draw. The German was knocked out in the first round at Wimbledon last year and had never been beyond the fourth round at SW19 in nine previous attempts before this campaign.
"I feel different than last year, I feel I play better tennis in important moments and have more confidence," Zverev said. "I want to keep going, play a lot more great matches, and enjoy my time here on court."
He also reflected on the impact of finally winning a maiden Grand Slam title in Paris. "Winning in Paris, coming in with a title like that helps everybody. It doesn't matter how many titles you've won. For me it was my first one," he said.
The world number three's path has also been eased by the draw, as he cannot meet either defending champion Jannik Sinner or seventh seed Novak Djokovic before the final. Zverev will next face Czech 13th seed Jiri Lehecka, who came through a four-set battle with Spain's Jaume Munar.
De Minaur drops a set but sets up meeting with Cobolli
Fifth seed Alex de Minaur lost his first set of the tournament but still saw off American Zachary Svajda 6-2 5-7 6-2 6-4 earlier in the day. The Australian will now face a fourth-round tie against Italy's ninth seed Flavio Cobolli, who battled to a dramatic five-set win over Russia's Karen Khachanov.
Cobolli, who was beaten in last month's French Open final, was bagelled in the opening set on Court Two but fought back to win 0-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 6-2.
Fritz to face Bublik after coming from behind
American sixth seed Taylor Fritz, a semi-finalist at Wimbledon last year, also had to come from a set down to beat Italy's Lorenzo Sonego 4-6 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-5). He will meet Kazakhstan's 10th seed Alexander Bublik in the fourth round after Bublik overcame American Frances Tiafoe 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (13-11) 4-6 6-3.
