Carlos Alcaraz made to feel ’13-years old’ as Sunshine Double dream ends with Miami Open defeat to Grigor Dimitrov

Carlos Alcaraz said that his Miami Open quarter-final conqueror Grigor Dimitrov made him feel ’13-years old’ as his dreams of achieving the Sunshine Double are on hold for another year.

Having triumphed at Indian Wells earlier in the month, Alcaraz was looking to become just the eighth man and eleventh player overall to double up at America’s Sunshine Swing the same year.

However, the no. 1 seed came up against an inspired Dimitrov, who rolled back the years to stun the reigning Wimbledon champion 6-2 6-4.

“I left the court thinking that probably I had to change my game a little bit earlier,” Alcaraz said afterwards. “But anyway i felt like I played good tennis, not perfect but good tennis. But I feel a lot of frustrations right now because he made me feel like I’m 13 years old.

“It was crazy, I was talking to my team, I don’t know what I have to do. I don’t know his weakness, I don’t know anything. That’s why I have frustration right now. But you know I left the court happy with my tennis.”

The Bulgarian started in rapid fashion, securing an early break in the second game with some furious returns keeping Alcaraz on the back foot, before keeping his composure to fend off three break points to go 3-0 in front.

Alcaraz saved break point to avoid going a double break down and held to love on next his service game as an ominous sign, but former world no. 3 was unphased and a fantastic backhand sealed another break and the first set.

It was the first set Alcaraz had dropped in the tournament and soon found himself on the brink of another as Dimitrov broke again in the second before the Spaniard was forced to save another break point to prevent going 1-5 down on his next serve.

A failure to capitalise here seemed to momentarily rattle Dimtrov who was broken to love in the next game and another hold from Alcaraz restored parity in the set.

A crucial hold from Dimitrov followed as he found his groove once more, and when Alcaraz sent an uncharacteristic forehand wide on his next serve on match point, Dimitrov threw his arms to the sky to celebrate a famous win.

“I think overall to win against him you have to play at your best, that’s just how it is,” Dimitrov said afterwards. “I came into the match very focussed and I think extremely clear what I had to do.

“Sometimes simplicity is genius. It’s very, very hard to do it, especially when you play against an opponent like that, but I was really able to dictate the game, read the game a little bit better than last time. Overall, I think a very great match on my end and I’m just happy I finished in straight sets.”