The Spaniard went out of the Rome Open at the last-32 stage in the final warm-up tournament to the French Open, but had made at least the quarter-final of every other event since then.

However, after beating Britain's Dan Evans in the first round, he crashed out in the last-16 in China after Dimitrov came from behind to post victory, clinically out drop-shotting the drop-shot master.

"I stayed in the match, that was the first thing, especially after the first set," Dimitrov said on the ATP Tour website.

"I was serving very well throughout the first set and he made a few errors. I pushed him to make a lot of errors at certain moments. At 4-5 he played an amazing game and another at 6-5. I was creating a lot of opportunities.

"After the second break in the second set I think I understood his service games and was able to put more balls in and read his serve a bit better. I think in the third set it was a bit of cat-and-mouse.

"I think we both played a solid set. He made a few errors and I was very solid and served well when I had to."

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