Dimitrov joins Nadal on list of oldest winners at Bastad with victory in first round
Båstad (Sweden), July 14 (IANS) Seasoned Bulgarian star Grigor Dimitrov continued his impressive recent form on Tuesday at the Nordea Open in Bastad, where he rallied past Dalibor Svrcina 7-6(5), 1-6, 6-4 to reach the second round at the ATP 250 clay-court event.
With this win, Dimitrov becomes the second-oldest match winner in Bastad this decade behind the then-38-year-old Rafael Nadal, who reached the final in 2024. Dimitrov will next meet fifth seed and 2024 champion Nuno Borges, who beat French wild card Moise Kouame 6-4, 6-2.
Dimitrov enjoyed a run to the fourth round at Wimbledon earlier this month and quickly adjusted to the clay in Bastad, where he advanced to the semifinals in 2012 and 2013, according to the ATP Win/Loss Index. Competing at the tournament for the first time since 2013, the 35-year-old battled back from 3-5 in the first set and recovered from squandering a break advantage in the third set to advance after two hours and 24 minutes, the ATP Tour said on its official website.
“It is extremely different conditions from where I have come from, and I am at an age where I think I need some extra days, but I think today it was all about fighting,” Dimitrov said.
“I didn’t feel like I was on top of my game, but he was a hell of a competitor, so fast around the court and did so many drop shots. He really went for his shots, so I had to really count on my experience and really press when I really had to.”
Earlier, the No. 138 player in the ATP Rankings, Andrea Pellegrino, overcame #NextGenATP Norwegian Nicolai Budov Kjaer 6-3, 6-2 to earn his first tour-level win since he defeated Frances Tiafoe in the fourth round at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Rome in May. Pellegrino will next take on top seed Andrey Rublev.
There were also wins for seeds Botic van de Zandschulp and Thiago Agustin Tirante. Sixth seed Van de Zandschulp eliminated Japanese qualifier Taro Daniel 7-6(0), 6-4, and Tirante beat Sebastian Ofner 6-3, 6-4.
–IANS
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