Dimitrov Qualifies for US Open Main Draw

Grigor Dimitrov is in the US Open main draw after Otto Virtanen withdrew from their qualifying final with a back injury. EssentiallySports timestamped the walkover Thursday afternoon in New York. Tennis Up To Date and BGNES both confirmed the same result: Dimitrov did not hit a ball on Thursday and still punched his ticket. It is the 35-year-old's 15th US Open main-draw appearance and his first trip through qualifying at a Slam this year.

He had already done the hard part. Dimitrov beat Lorenzo Giustino 6-0, 6-3 in the first round, then Timofey Skatov 7-6, 6-4 in the second, scores carried by EssentiallySports and matching the qualifying draw. Virtanen had come from a set down to beat Jack Pinnington Jones 2-6, 7-6, 6-3 on Wednesday and hurt his back in that match. BGNES had Virtanen ranked 108 and Dimitrov 137. The Finn never made it to court.

How did Grigor Dimitrov qualify for the US Open?

Two wins and a walkover. Wikipedia's qualifying list already has him among the confirmed names, alongside Coleman Wong, Jurij Rodionov, Tomas Barrios Vera, Toby Samuel, and Andrea Guerrieri. Rain pushed the last day of qualifying from Thursday into Friday. Dimitrov does not have to wait on that. He is through. The main draw starts Sunday, August 30.

He missed the 2025 US Open while recovering from a pectoral injury suffered against Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon round of 16, EssentiallySports wrote. He is a former world No. 3 who used to walk into the main draw. Rankings dumped him into the 128-player qualifier. Tennis Up To Date quoted him treating that as extra matches, not a demotion. The walkover stole one of those matches. It also saved him a third best-of-three on hard courts in four days.

What the Dimitrov qualifier means at Flushing Meadows

The draw already has stars stacked. Carlos Alcaraz landed in the same half as Novak Djokovic, a path covered in the Alcaraz-Djokovic draw recap. Dimitrov's first-round opponent is not posted yet. Do not guess it. Qualifying is still finishing Friday. The search query is Dimitrov qualifies, US Open main draw, Virtanen withdrawal. Thursday answered all three.

A 15th Flushing Meadows is the point. Dimitrov has a US Open semifinal on his resume (2019). He is 35 and coming through the back door. That is still a main-draw player with a first-round date on Sunday. Fans looking up Grigor Dimitrov US Open can stop at qualified. The rest of the bracket fills in after the last qualifier is in.

Dimitrov US Open qualifying FAQ

Did Grigor Dimitrov qualify for the US Open? Yes. He reached the main draw when Otto Virtanen withdrew from their qualifying final.

Why did Otto Virtanen withdraw? A back injury from his Wednesday match against Jack Pinnington Jones.

When does the US Open main draw start? Sunday, August 30. Dimitrov's first-round opponent had not been announced as of Friday morning.