Advertisement

Dimitrov displays his all-round skills to down Wawrinka at Queen's

(Reuters) - Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov stood one win away from proving he is a force to be reckoned with on all playing surfaces after he toppled top seed Stan Wawrinka 6-2 6-4 to reach the Aegon Championships final at Queen's Club on Saturday. Already a winner on clay and hardcourts this season, the world number 13 could now add a grasscourt title to his growing trophy collection after humbling Australian Open champion Wawrinka in 61 minutes. Spaniard Feliciano Lopez awaits in the final after the number 10 seed beat Andy Murray's conqueror Radek Stepanek 7-6(7) 6-4. "I always wanted to be in final out here," fourth seed Dimitrov told reporters. "It has always been one of the biggest events for me. "There's nothing better than to be in the final. I'm looking forward to it. I'm sure I'm going to go out there and give 100 percent of myself." Wawrinka gifted Dimitrov a break with a double fault in the fifth game and the Bulgarian extended his lead with another break in the seventh. At 3-3 in the second set Wawrinka lost his composure, firing two wild forehands to drop his serve before smashing his racket in frustration. Dimitrov remained untroubled and converted match point with an ace to reach his third final this year and his first on grass. Lopez and Stepanek provided plenty of entertainment in a tight opening set before the Spaniard eventually took it after an enthralling 9-7 tie-break that included a 21-shot rally. Lopez, who defeated second seed Tomas Berdych in the quarter-finals, made the decisive break in the seventh game of the second set with a well-executed backhand. "I have to be pleased and I have to be proud of the quality of tennis I have been playing today," Lopez said. "If I want to win, I have to play like I did today; very aggressive, consistent. "If I play like this, I will have my opportunities, I think." (Reporting By Michael Hann, editing by Pritha Sarkar)