Grigor Dimitrov plays INSPIRED tennis to topple Alcaraz in Miami

Wow. Grigor Dimitrov has left us all in awe after knocking out top seed Carlos Alcaraz in Key Biscayne. The 32-year-old, who is playing some of the best tennis of his life as he gets older, had a clear game plan in mind before entering this matchup - and executed it to perfection. Crisp, inside-out backhand returns caught the Spaniard by utter surprise; flawless anticipation and athleticism left him dazed.

The Bulgarian took immense, early cuts at the ball, taking precious time away from Alcaraz and giving him no breathing room - especially on the return, which he swatted away effortlessly and consistently.

One other thing that was extremely impressive and acted as a defining point in this performance was Dimitrov's anticipation, which was almost bordering on prophetic. Every forehand Alcaraz bludgeoned, Grigor was there and absorbing pace; every drop volley the youngster caressed over the net with his distinctive silky touch, Grigor was already running towards it - and of course, his unbelievable footspeed allowed him to get up to it in a flash and finish with pin-point accuracy on his passes. It was certainly an unexpected result.

Midway through the second set, there was a hiccup of sorts: Alcaraz saved a break point for 5-1 and held a tight service game to make it 4-2. This animated him, and the classic Spanish fire we know and love began to burn. Blasting an array of unthinkably fast forehands to break back to love, it was well and truly game on. What accentuates this is that solely in this return game that he broke back in, Carlos's average forehand speed was 95mph! But Grigor did not blink. He showed his mettle by holding for 5-4 and closed out the match with signature flair.

The Bulgarian is now knocking on the door of the top ten - should he defeat Zverev, his semi-final opponent, he would finally re-enter the echelon that has eluded him for 6 years.