site.btaUPDATED Grigor Dimitrov Reaches Second Round of Australian Open

The best Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov reached the second round of the Australian Open on Tuesday. Dimitrov, ranked 13th in the Men's Singles, defeated Hungary's Marton Fucsovics 4:6, 6:3, 7:6(1), 6:2 in a match that lasted nearly three and a half hours. The Bulgarian is less than 200 points away from a return to the Top 10 for the first time since 2018.

In his post-match press conference Dimitrov expressed overall satisfaction with his performance. He added: "I think for sure I could have done a lot of things better, but it's always tricky, when you start a Slam. [...] I was kind of hoping that I would have a better first match, but it is how it is. You need to go through those matches."

That was Dimitrov's 32nd success at the Australian Open. As of the 2024 Australian Open, he is the active male player with the longest streak of consecutive Grand Slam appearances, at 52.

In the second round in Melbourne, the winner of Brisbane International Dimitrov will face Thanasi Kokkinakis from Australia, who defeated the Austrian Sebastian Ofner in a five-set match. Kokkinakis, ranked 80th in the Men's Singles, has never played an official match against Dimitrov. Kokkinakis won the 2022 Australian Open – Men's doubles with partner Nick Kyrgios.