Grigor Dimitrov Bulgarian tennis player did not spend much time starting the 2023 Rotterdam Open against Aslan Karatsev.
The world number 28 did not face many obstacles when he slaughtered world number 98, Karatsev with a convincing result 6-1, 6-3 in the first round of the Rotterdam Open in just 59 minutes.
The Bulgarian national was a finalist at the ATP level 500 tournament held in Rotterdam and he put in a confident performance in the indoor hard-court tournament. He did not face a single break point chance against the 29-year-old Karatsev and converted four of the five break point opportunities he created before going 8-1 in the first round of the tournament.
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This victory was the second win for the 2017 ATP Finals champion, Grigor Dimitrov against tennis player who has won three titles, Karatsev. The two tennis players also met in the first round of this season’s Australian Open which the Bulgarian also won in straight sets.
The 31-year-old tennis player breezed into the third round of the Australian Open before losing to the champion, Novak Djokovic.
The reward for Dimitrov’s hard work, who has won eight titles, is a second round match against fifth seed Hubert Hurkacz or Spanish tennis player Roberto Bautista Agut.
In other action, French veteran Richard Gasquet defeated seventh seed Pablo Carreno Busta 2-6, 7-6, 6-2 in the first round of the Rotterdam Open.
The 36-year-old Gasquet beat world number 16 Carreno Busta for the first time in their third meeting and snapped an eight-match losing streak against the top 20 in the indoor tournament.
The win was Gasquet’s 593rd career win and sent him into the second round against Swiss international Stan Wawrinka.
A tennis player who has won three Grand Slam titles, Wawrinka defeated the Kazakh national, Alexander Bublik 7-6, 6-4.
In other actions, Gasquet’s compatriot, Gregoire Barrere also advanced to the second round thanks to a 6-0, 7-6 victory over Belgian tennis player Davis Goffin and booked a match against third seed and defending champion, Felix Auger Aliassime or Italian tennis player, Lorenzo Sonego.