Bulgaria's Dimitrov Climbs Up Global Ranking after Beijing Final

Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria reacts during his men`s singles final against Andy Murray of Britain at the China Open tennis tournament at the National Tennis Center in Beijing, China, October 09, 2016. File photo, EPA/BGNES

Despite the loss to Andy Murray on Sunday, Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria has moved two spots up the ranking of professional tennis.

With 1990 points, he is now No 16, behind Richard Gasquet (France) and above Roberto Bautista Agut (Spain).

Dimitrov was defeated in a tense China Open final, but had managed to oust top players such as Nadal earlier during the week.

Nadal, after dropping out in the quarterfinals, is now No 4, with Japan's Kei Nishikori coming third.

His performance is part of the past few months' upward trend, with Dimitrov seeking to recover from a tough season of defeats where he seldom went past the first or second round of a major tournament.

“I never had good results out here in China and I’m finally happy I did this time," the Guardian quotes Dimitrov as saying after the match.

"Hopefully I can continue like that for the rest of the year. I’m just glad I fought so hard this tournament. It meant a lot to me. Andy is one of the toughest competitors out there – no doubt. On to Shanghai."

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!