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Match details
Fixture: (BEL) David Goffin vs (BUL) Grigor Dimitrov
Date: 31 December 2022
Tournament: United Cup 2023
Round: Group stage
Venue: RAC Arena, Perth, Australia
Category: United Cup
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $15,000,000
Match timing: (Dec 31) Approx 12 pm local time, 4 am GMT, 9:30 am IST, (Dec 30) 11 pm EST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Australia - 9Now & Stan Sport | UK & India - United Cup YouTube channel
David Goffin vs Grigor Dimitrov preview
David Goffin and Grigor Dimitrov are set to clash in the group stage of the 2023 United Cup on Saturday.
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Goffin started his 2022 season on a strong note by reaching the quarterfinals of the Sydney Tennis Classic but retired during his match against Andy Murray. He wasn't able to carry the momentum with him as he made an early exit from every tournament after that.
The Belgian rediscovered his form during the clay swing, which he kicked off by winning his sixth career title in Morocco. He notched up decent results after that and made it to the third round of the French Open. At Wimbledon, he recorded his best result at a Grand Slam in years by reaching the quarterfinals. He then lost in the first round of his next five tournaments.
Goffin stunned World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the opening round of the Astana Open but lost in the next round. He reached the last eight of the Antwerp Open and concluded his year with a first-round defeat at the Swiss Indoors.
Dimitrov faced World No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas in his first match at the United Cup. The two were evenly matched for most of the opening set. The Bulgarian managed to break his opponent's serve in the last game of the set to clinch it.
Tsitsipas responded by raising his level and raced to a 5-1 lead in the second set, claiming the set pretty soon after that. Dimitrov saved a couple of break points at the start of the third set and then had a chance to secure a lead for himself, but was unable to do so.
The set eventually went into a tie-break, with Tsitsipas coming out on top to defeat Dimitrov 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (4).
David Goffin vs Grigor Dimitrov head-to-head
Dimitrov leads Goffin 8-2 in the head-to-head. The latter won their previous encounter at the 2020 ATP Cup in three sets.
David Goffin vs Grigor Dimitrov odds
(Odds sourced from BetMGM)
David Goffin vs Grigor Dimitrov prediction
Dimitrov has the upper hand in this particular match-up, given his winning record against Goffin. He put up a strong performance against Tsitsipas but was outplayed during key moments, causing the match to slip out of his grasp.
The Bulgarian fired 11 aces and won 80% of his first serve points in his previous match. He also saved six of the eight break points he faced. His serve has already given him an edge over Goffin in the past, and if reproduces similar numbers once again, the contest will tilt heavily in his favor.
Goffin has tried to outplay Dimitrov from the back of the court, but it hasn't yielded the desired results so far. He comes up short in baseline exchanges and his opponent has the skills to handle his change in tactics. If Dimitrov displays the same level as he did against Tsitsipas, he should be able to notch up another win over the Belgian.
Pick: Grigor Dimitrov to win in three sets.
