Grigor Dimitrov Beat Wawrinka Again. Plays Rafael Nadal in the Quarter-finals

Grigor Dimitrov edged Stan Wawrinka in the third round of Madrid Masters 7-6(5) 3-6 6-3. Dimitrov saved 10 of 12 break points that he faced and scored 17th match win for the season. Less than a month ago Dimitrov ousted Wawrinka in Monte-Carlo 6-1 6-2. So now Grigor leads Stan Wawrinka 3-2 in their Head-2-Head series.

"It was a tough match," said Dimitrov. "He was up a break in the first set and he was playing good tennis, much, much better than when we played in Monte-Carlo. Today, what I think I did really well was to keep a good composure throughout the whole match. I was playing solid tennis, even though, occasionally, he was just outplaying me and over-powering me.

“I exploited his weak spot, which was his forehand, and he missed a couple of times, which gave me the confidence. After breaking in the third set, I felt really comfortable to step in and win the match and I think that's the best thing I did today."

In the quarterfinals Grigor Dimitrov will try to reach first victory over Rafael Nadal. The Bulgarian lost all 5 matches so far: at the semis of Rome Masters and at the quarterfinals of Australian Open in 2014, at second round of Cincinatti and at the quarterfinals of Monte-Carlo Masters in 2013, and in 2009 at Rotterdam when the very young Dimitrov succeeded to take a set but lost the match.

"I know what to expect from him and we all know what I'm going to put out there on the court, which is going to be a great performance," said Dimitrov. "It's one of those days where I really want to be out there on the court, playing against him on clay. I feel like I have been playing good tennis, so why not go out there and have fun, but at the same time, I know why I'm out there."

"Everything worries me about Dimitrov," said Nadal. "He's a very good player. The only way to beat him is to play at really high level. I think he has had more difficult matches than me this week. That's an advantage for him. Let's see what happens. I hope to be ready for it, but I know Dimitrov is a fantastic player and a player that can win against everybody. Great talent."

Grigor Dimitrov with his partner Jurgen Melzer lost to Matkowski/Zimonjic in the second round of the doubles tournments.

Dimitrov-Nadal match is at 3:30pm on Friday on Manolo Santana Court.