'God awful' Tiafoe out of Wimbledon in 3rd round

LONDON, July 9 — Grigor Dimitrov dispatched American 10th seed Frances Tiafoe in a convincing 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 victory on Sunday to move into the fourth round of Wimbledon, where he will meet Danish sixth seed Holger Rune.

Tiafoe arrived at the All England Club having captured his first grass-court title at the Stuttgart Open last month, but it was the experienced Dimitrov, a 2014 Wimbledon semifinalist and a Queen’s Club finalist last month, who prevailed over two days.

Sunday’s defeat left Tiafoe at a loss.

“I played god awful. So it just hurts, man,” Tiafoe said. “I really don’t know what to say. I don’t know how I’m going to digest it. … I just, I’ve never really felt like this after a loss. It’s like I’m shocked how usually I rise to occasions and I’m shocked how I performed today. It’s just crazy to me, honestly.”

While Tiafoe was left searching for answers, the veteran Dimitrov said he understood the challenge he faced in playing the 25-year-old American.

“He’s such a dangerous player and I knew I had to be very focused. He’s the type of player that has a great serve, great return. So I was just looking after my game,” Dimitrov said.

“The past weeks have been, in a way, very amazing weeks for me out here in England. I’m just enjoying every single day. … It’s amazing to be also in the second week. I love playing on Sunday.”

The first things Tiafoe highlighted when asked to give his thoughts on Dimitrov prior to the match were the Bulgarian’s first serve, his net game and his slice.

Tiafoe had clearly done his homework, having beaten Dimitrov four years ago at the Australian Open in a last-16 clash he described as “an absolute war,” but this time the American had no answer for the variety of shots in his opponent’s arsenal.

Dimitrov did not disappoint and was virtually unstoppable on serve, firing 13 aces and winning 92% of his first serve points to go two sets up and leave Tiafoe on the ropes before play was suspended on Saturday early in the third set.

When they resumed on Sunday, Dimitrov consolidated an early break and a restless Tiafoe lost his cool in no time.

He took his frustration out on a ball by launching it into orbit between points before smashing his racquet repeatedly during a changeover.

“Yeah I’m, top 10 in the world, [but] I played like I didn’t have an ATP point,” Tiafoe said.

Dimitrov, on the other hand, was calm and collected as the 32-year-old went about his business with powerful shots from the baseline and flawless touches at the net to fire 33 winners, leaving the younger and faster Tiafoe with no answers.

Dimitrov brought up three match points without breaking a sweat and sealed his victory with a deft volley at the net after sending Tiafoe desperately scrambling for a return.

When asked about his next matchup against an even younger Rune, who is 12 years his junior, Dimitrov simply shrugged his shoulders.

“I’m 32! Honestly, for me, I’m not looking at anything right now, at age or any of these things. I’m really focusing on my side of the net and looking after my game,” he said with a laugh.

“He’s young, talented and a very dangerous player. But so am I, minus the young part!”

Meanwhile on Sunday, defending champion Novak Djokovic took the first two sets 7-6 (6), 7-6 (6) — after trailing in each tiebreaker — against 17th-seeded Hubert Hurkacz on Centre Court before their fourth-round match was suspended because it was getting too late to continue to play.

Local rules prevent Wimbledon matches from extending past 11 p.m., and so matches that approach that time often will be halted after a set ends.

They’ll resume on Monday, with the winner to face No. 7 Andrey Rublev for a spot in the semifinals.

ESPN’s Tom Hamilton, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.