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Grigor Dimitrov qualified for the second round of the strong ATP 500 tournament in Vienna, beating Russia’s Karen Khachanov with 7: 6 (6), 6: 3. The Bulgarian presented himself very solidly and deservedly congratulated himself on the success of 18 in the world.
The two traded advances at first. After a short break after the third game, Grigor came out very distracted. A backhand pass at 15:15 was followed by a double fault, as the Bulgarian gave up two consecutive points to break his opponent – 15:40. At 30:40, Grigor made a forehand error, taking the ball, which was the first break of the match and 3: 1 for the Russian.
Strong play followed for Grigor, who with brilliant plays won three consecutive points for a rebreak at 0:40. Khachanov reflected the first opportunity, and in the second he was in a winning position, but he made an unexpected mistake at the net and this was a breakthrough for the Bulgarian.
With no new breakthrough opportunities, a tiebreaker was reached. It started well for the Bulgarian, who shot 3: 0, but was followed by five consecutive points for Khachanov. In the end, Dimitrov showed strong nerves and took the long game with 8: 6.
The second part was much easier for Grisho. He tried 2: 0 and got stronger, and then he didn’t allow the world number 18 to catch up with him. In the sixth game, Grisho stepped on the gas and hit three hidden balls to 4: 1 in games and 15:40 in the Russian’s serve. After a big shootout on the net, Dimitrov approached the game from victory. His rival managed to stay a little longer in the game, but it was all just by protocol and from his second chance the native ace put an end to it.
Grigor awaits the winner of the match Stefanos Tsitsipas – Jan Leonard Struff in the next round.
