Dimitrov edges Tiafoe in thriller to reach Rogers Cup quarters

Fifth-ranked Grigor Dimitrov defeats Frances Tiafoe to advance to the Rogers Cup quarter-finals.

TORONTO — Grigor Dimitrov reached the quarterfinals at the Rogers Cup on Thursday by outlasting Frances Tiafoe 7-6 (1), 3-6, 7-6 (4) at Aviva Centre.

The fifth-seeded Bulgarian needed two hours 26 minutes to complete the victory on centre court. Tiafoe, a 20-year-old American, dispatched Canada’s Milos Raonic earlier in the tournament.

Several intriguing third-round matches were set for later in the day at the York University venue.

Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., was scheduled to play Robin Haase of the Netherlands and reigning Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia was to meet rising Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Top-seeded Rafael Nadal of Spain was to face Swiss wild-card entry Stan Wawrinka and defending Rogers Cup champion Alexander Zverev of Germany was to play Russian qualifier Daniil Medvedev.

Play continues through Sunday at the US$5.94-million Masters 1000 Series ATP World Tour competition.< [relatedlinks]

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.