Grigor Dimitrov stuns Ivan Dodig in first round – PTT Thailand Open 2011
Bulgaria’s number one, Grigor Dimitrov, produced a surprising result in Bangkok, Thailand, as he simply outclassed the world number 37, Ivan Dodig of Croatia, in the opening round of the PTT Thailand Open on Monday afternoon.
Dodig wrapped up victory in straight sets 6-2, 7-5, to make a place in the second round of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 tournament. He took one hour and thirty two minutes of play to dispose of the fifth seeded Croat from the event and registered his 14th victory of the running season in a convincing fashion.
Currently holding the 76th spot in the ATP World Rankings, Dimitrov displayed his magnificent tennis skills to stun everyone present at the Impact Arena. His pin-point hitting and strong serve game led the key to his success in the matchup against Dodig, who clearly appeared rusty in the competition.
“I thought it was a great match today,” said Dimitrov, who is now 6-6 lifetime on indoor courts. “I’m still overcoming the jetlag, but I hope to do well here as I was really looking forward to playing in Bangkok. It has been a great experience so far. My game is improving, after a couple of rough months, but I am working hard and trying to progress. Today, it all kind of clicked into place.”
The unseeded Bulgarian banged 69 per cent of his serve on target, firing four aces and reeling off 32 out of 41 first serve points en route to victory. He converted four of his nine break opportunities in the game, while Dodig registered merely one break point out of his four chances in the entire matchup.
The opening set was an all-Bulgarian show, with Dimitrov dominating every second of the set. He broke Dodig in the first and then in the fifth game to race through the opener and then carried on his belligerence to the next set as well. Dodig posed some resistance in the second set but was no good enough to withstand the fury of the young Bulgarian and eventually succumbed at 5-7.
Dimitrov needs one more victory to earn a place in the quarter-finals of the PTT Thailand Open and will have to go through either the Italian qualifier, Simone Bolelli, or the unseeded Latvian, Ernests Gulbis, in the second round. Bolelli and Gulbis will go one-on-one in the opening round clash on Tuesday afternoon and the winner will take on the Bulgarian in the round of 16.
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