Grigor Dimitrov successfully lived up to the high expectations placed upon him by the packed crowd at the Sofia Open by overcoming Jerzy Janowicz 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, in the second round.
The Australian Open semifinalist is playing his first tournament in his native Bulgaria since losing to Steve Darcis in the first round of a Challenger event in 2009. Dimitrov’s return was one that sent Bulgarian fans into a frenzy with an estimated 10,000 people attending the tournament on Thursday.
Dimitrov’s highly anticipated return to his homeland wasn’t without a scare. Facing former world No.14 Jerzy Janowicz, the 25-year-old had to battle back from a set down during a two-hour marathon. Successfully saving six out of the seven break points he faced, Dimitrov grabbed a late break to his advantage towards the closing stages of the decisive set before successfully serving the match out.
Shortly after his victory, the third seed paid tribute to the crowd. The atmosphere inside the Arena Armeec could have mistaken for a Davis Cup match with the Bulgaria flag being shown with pride by hundreads of supporters inside the venue.
“This victory is entirely yours, you helped me get out of this match. Playing in front of my home crowd is damn exciting, I want to thank you all for coming tonight. I’m not exaggerating – victory is entirely yours. Thank you.” Dimitrov told fans during his on-court interview.
In the last eight Dimitrov will play Viktor Troicki, who also survived a two-hour encounter against Robin Haase. He played the Serbian three times last season, winning only one of their meetings at the Brisbane International.
“Troicki? It’s not easier. Many times we have played against each other, we know what to expect. I just need to relax and do the same tomorrow night, ” he said about the upcoming match.
Thiem crashes out
The highest ranked player in the tournament, Dominic Thiem, suffered a shock 6-4, 6-4, loss to world No.87 Nikoloz Basilashvili in his opening match. Struggling to make any impact on his opponent’s serve, Thiem wasn’t able to get a break point opportunity until the final game of the match.
“He played very fast. There were not many rallies. I could not find a perfect rhythm. The surface is very fast, the balls fly very fast.” Thiem said following his loss.
Thiem’s defeat comes ahead of what is expected to be a packed new few weeks for the Austrian. He is scheduled to play in three consecutive ATP 500 tournaments in Rotterdam, Rio and Acapulco prior to next months Indian Wells Masters. Nevertheless, the world No.8 has hinted that he may reevaluate his schedule to rest more.
“I planned to play every week, but will have to see if it happens. Last season was very heavy, holiday – very short. I need to rest more.” Said Thiem.
“I feel good. Maybe not as much as last year, but I’m fine.” He added.
Basilashvili’s win is only his second victory over a top 10 player in his career after Tomas Berdych in 2016. He will play Martin Klizan in the quarter-finals.
Other victors at the tournament included Steve Darcis, who defeated Andreas Seppi 6-3, 7-5, to set all an all-Belgian clash with David Goffin. Meanwhile, Sydney International champion Gilles Muller defeated Mikhail Youzhny 6-3, 7-5. Muller will next play defending champion Roberto Bautista Agut.
