Dimitrov upsets Thiem to reach quarterfinal in Australian Open

The No. 18-seeded Dimitrov was down a break in each of the first two sets but rallied to keep up the pressure on his tiring opponent.

Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov beat third-seeded Austrian Dominic Thiem 6-4, 6-4, 6-0 to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open for the fourth time here on Sunday.

Buglaria's Grigor Dimitrov, right, shakes hands with Austria's Dominic Thiem after Dimitrov won their fourth round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021. (AP)

The No. 18-seeded Dimitrov was down a break in each of the first two sets but rallied to keep up the pressure on his tiring opponent.

Thiem won the U.S. Open and was the runner-up at the Australian Open last year, but he was coming off a tough third-round match when he had to rally from two sets down to beat local favorite Nick Kyrgios in five.

Dimitrov, who has a career-high ranking of No. 3, will next play 114-ranked Aslan Karatsev, who upset Felix Auger-Aliassime to become the first man since 1996 to reach the quarterfinals on his Grand Slam debut.

The 27-year-old Russian qualifier dropped the first two sets but lifted his level and cut down his error-rate to beat the 20th-seeded Auger-Aliassime in five.