Grigor Dimitrov advances in qualifiers at the Sony Ericsson Open
Top seeded Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov downed South African Rik De Voest in straight sets to advance in the qualifiers at the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open on Monday.. He earned a 6-4, 7-6(2) win over the 30-year-old South African
This was 19-year-old Dimitrov’s second win over the South African this year. He recently dumped the South African at Dubai qualifiers but could only reach the first round before losing to French Richard Gasquet. He hasn’t showed
much progress in ATP World Tour events this season but he won the Cherbourg Challenger and entered this tournament in full confidence.
The youngster started the match full of energy and held his opening serve spectacularly. He then holds on to all of his serves and managed to break De Voest’s serve once to win the set with a 6-4 score line. The Bulgarian smashed
two massive aces, saved all three breakpoints and registered an impressive 86 percent win on his higher first serve share.
Ranked 70th in the world, Dimitrov carried his winning ways in the second set and held his opening serve in the second set. Later he fired four aces but he scored a lower first serve percentage of 63 percent as compared
to South African’s 78 percent and could only save three out of four breakpoints. However, he managed to convert a breakpoint to his advantage and took the set to tiebreaker where he prevailed and clinched the set 7-6(2).
He will next face Chile wild card Nicolas Massu. The world number 259 Chilean upset 14th seeded Polish Michal Przysiezny in straight sets as well.
Massu outshined the world number 117th Przysiezny in every department of tennis. In the opening set, the Chilean hammered five ferocious aces and had an acceptable first serve percentage of 58 percent as compared to
slightly lower Polish’s 56 percent. Further he earned an amazing 86 percent win on it and converted the only breakpoint opportunity to his advantage to win the set 6-4.
In the second set, Massu was a little shaken as he lost one serve, committed two double faults and had a lower first serve percentage of 63 percent as opposed to Przysiezny’s 74 percent. However, he managed to clinch the set with
a similar score line of 6-4 by converting two breakpoint opportunities to his advantage.
The 31-year-old Massu was ousted from many tournaments due to injury this season but he has entered in full confidence and is well prepared in this ATP world tour 1000 event and aiming to go far here.
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