Grigor Dimitrov secured a place in the round of 16 at the Masters 1000 tournament in Indian Wells after a hard-fought victory over France’s Gael Monfils. The Bulgarian tennis star triumphed in a marathon three-hour match, winning 7:6(4), 4:6, 7:6(2). His next challenge will be against defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.

Dimitrov, seeded 14th in the tournament, faced a tough opponent in the experienced 38-year-old Monfils. The opening set saw Monfils break first for 4:3, but Dimitrov responded immediately with a rebreak. The set was eventually decided in a tiebreak, where the Bulgarian took control, leading 6:2 before converting his third set point.

In the second set, Monfils managed to break Dimitrov in the tenth game, sealing it at 6:4 to force a decisive third set. Dimitrov started strong in the final set, breaking Monfils in the first game. However, at 3:2, the Bulgarian needed medical attention for an issue with his left hand. Monfils capitalized on a forehand error from Dimitrov to break back and level the score at 3:3.

As the set progressed, Dimitrov had to serve to stay in the match twice—first at 4:5 and again at 5:6—both times holding his serve confidently. The battle ultimately led to another tiebreak, where the Bulgarian was dominant, racing to a 5:0 lead. He secured victory on his second match point after a Monfils error.

Dimitrov’s upcoming opponent, Carlos Alcaraz, booked his spot in the next round with a straight-sets win over Canada’s Denis Shapovalov, 6:2, 6:4. The head-to-head record between Dimitrov and Alcaraz stands at 3-2 in favor of the Spaniard. However, the Bulgarian won their last two encounters, including a straight-sets victory last year in Miami on his way to the final.