Grigor Dimitrov beat Denis Shapovalov 6-3 7-6 (7-3) in a blockbuster first round match at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Championships in Rotterdam.
Dimitrov saved two break points in the opening game before earning the only break of the match in the second game. The second set went on serve with no break points en route to the tie-break. Dimitrov sealed the tie-break 7-3 on his first match point.
Dimitrov reached the final in Rotterdam in 2018 finishing runner-up to Roger Federer and the semifinal in 2013. Shapovalov made his debut in Rotterdam last year reaching the quarter final.
“Denis is a quality player. Indoors, he is very dangerous with his serve. He is a lefty. Very uncomfortable, but I like to play against lefties a lot. I was trying to use every little opportunity that I had to make sure I seized those moments”, said Dimitrov.
This year Dimitrov won two of three matches at the ATP Cup, before losing the second round match to Tommy Paul at the Australian Open. He lost in the first round to Grego Barrere in his opening match in Montpellier.
Dimitrov will face either Felix Auger Aliassime or Jan-Lennard Struff in the second round.
Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut came back from one set down to beat Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics 4-6 7-6 (7-1) 6-1 after 2 hours and 17 minutes. The Spanish player scored his ninth win in ten matches in 2020.
Bautista Agut converted five of his eight eight break points. He is playing in Rotterdam for the first time since 2016, when he reached the quarter finals for the first time.
Both players traded breaks twice in the opening set to draw level to 3-3. Fucsovics earned the third break in the ninth game and held his serve at deuce in the tenth game. Fucsovics saved the only break point in the 12th game of the second set, which came down to the tie-break. Bautista Agut cruised through to winning the tie-break 7-1.
Bautista Agut broke three times and earned a second match point at 5-1 after a double fault from Fucsovics. The 2019 Davis Cup champion converted it with a sliced backhand after a rally at the net. Fucsovics hit 40 winners, but he made 41 unforced errors.
Bautista Agut set up a second round match against his compatriot Pablo Carreno Busta, who battled past Frenchman Adrian Mannarino 7-5 6-7 (3-7) 6-4.
“The next round is going to be a Spanish match against Pablo. Hopefully one of us can take the title”, said Bautista Agut.
Carreno Busta converted four of his 17 break points. The Spaniard converted his only break point chance at 15 in the 11th game to take a 7-5 lead. Mannarino saved a total of eight break points in the second set before winning the tie-break 7-3.
Both players traded breaks twice in the decisive set. Carreno Busta broke serve on his second match point in the 10th game with a forehand winner after a 20-shot rally.
Daniel Evans beat Phillip Kohlschreiber 6-3 7-5 with one break in the sixth game and another in the 11th game.
Jean Julien Rojas and Horia Tecau beat Stefanos Tsitsipas and Nenad Zimonjic 6-2 6-2 in just 48 minutes in the doubles tournament. Rojer and Tecau broke twice in the opening set and dropped just two points on their serve.
Rojer and Tecau earned two more breaks and saved the only break point they faced in the second set to reach the quarter final.
Tsitsipas will start his Rotterdam campaign in the singles tournament against Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz.