The most successful Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov started his participation in the Roland Garros qualifiers on a positive note, having won the first set in his opening match of the Grand Slam tournament qualifiers.
The 35-year-old from Haskovo took the set 6-3 against Portuguese player Jaime Faria in a set that lasted 43 minutes. For the Bulgarian, this is an unusual situation – going through the qualifying stage of a tournament of this rank – but his difficult period and the drop in the rankings led him exactly here.
Currently, Dimitrov holds the 170th spot in the world rankings – his lowest position in about 16 years. It is precisely this regression in position that forces him to participate in the qualifiers instead of entering the main draw directly.
The match is being played under a closed roof, which somewhat neutralizes the impact of atmospheric conditions and places the emphasis on the pure technique and concentration of both opponents.
In the first set, Dimitrov recorded one ace, while Faria failed to register a direct point from his serve. The Bulgarian committed two double faults, while his opponent committed one.
Regarding break points, Grigor capitalized on 2 out of a total of 7 break opportunities he created, and only lost his serve once. This balance allowed him to control the score and close out the set with a comfortable 6-3.