Grigor Dimitrov vs Ilya Ivashka 9/28/22 Sofia Open Tennis Picks, Predictions, Odds

Grigor Dimitrov will meet Ilya Ivashka in the Round of 16 of the 2022 Sofia Open. The match will be played on Wednesday September 28th, 2022 at 11:00am EST.

Grigor Dimitrov is the third seed here at the Sofia Open and is ranked 23rd on the ATP Tour. He is playing at home which he surely will be relishing, especially since he is a former champion. Dimitrov has been having a very difficult season on the hard courts, currently with a losing record. He suffered an injury at Wimbledon, having to withdraw and since then hasn’t been quite the same so hopefully he is fully fit now. At the US Open which was his last event, he disappointingly lost in straight sets to Brandon Nakashima in the Second Round, showing that he is not fully back to full fitness. After a First Round bye he will face the dangerous Ilya Ivashka, knowing that anything less than a strong performance could result in defeat.

Ilya Ivashka is unseeded here at the Sofia Open and is ranked 71st in the world, a lower ranking than his ability would suggest. He entered the event this week off the back of a strong showing at the US Open, where he lost to Jannik Sinner in the Round of 16 in a brutal five set battle. Ivashka has always had the game but never the consistency to back it up, which is why is ranking is as low as it is. He squeaked past Mikael Ymer in three sets in the First Round and will know that he has to be better if he is to go further, as he will next face the experienced Grigor Dimitrov.

This should be a fierce battle that can really go either way, which is reflected in the odds. Dimitrov is ranked much higher, but his recent form hasn’t been great and the bookmakers rightly have given Ilya Ivashka a big shot at winning this. The form player is definitely the Belarusian, but I am siding with the Bulgarian here. His experience will be instrumental here, and with the home crowd behind him I think he has enough to get the job done. Back Grigor Dimitrov to win here and move on to the Quarter-Finals at home at the Sofia Open.