Grigor Dimitrov stays calm to see off Denis Shapovalov in Rotterdam as Dan Evans also advances

ATP Tour
Grigor Dimitrov serving

Grigor Dimitrov returned to winning ways as he upset eighth seed Denis Shapovalov in the first round of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Championships while Dan Evans also claimed a solid win.

Having lost in the second round of the Australian Open and first round of the Open Sud de France, Dimitrov is eyeing an extended run in Rotterdam.

And he got off to the best possible start with a 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) win over Shapovalov.

“Denis is a quality player,” he told ATPTour.com. “Indoors, he is very dangerous with his serve. A lefty. Very uncomfortable, but, in fact, I like to play against lefties a lot. I was trying to use every little opportunity that I had to make sure I seized those moments.”

He added: “There was not a lot of rhythm. There were not too many rallies, but I was able to stay in control. I was calm in the important moments and came to the net when I had to, so, overall, the things that I had to do right I did very well.”

Up next for the Bulgarian is either Felix Auger-Aliassime or Jan-Lennard Struff in the second round.

British No 1 Dan Evans produced a solid serving display as he beat German Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3, 7-5.

The 29-year-old, who will take on either fifth seed Fabio Fognini or Karen Khachanov in the second round, served eight aces and won 28 out of 33 points on his first serve.

“I served really well,” said Evans. “The court was quicker than I thought it was going to be but it suits my game and I am happy to go through.”

Sixth seed Roberto Bautista Agut overcame a poor start as he came from a set down to beat Marton Fucsovics 4-6, 7-6 (7-1), 6-1. Next up is Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta, who beat Adrian Mannarino 7-5, 6-7 (3-7), 6-4.

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Dan Evans Grigor Dimitrov

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