site.btaGrigor Dimitrov Defeats Andy Murray in First Match of 2024

Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov defeated British veteran Andy Murray 4-6 7-5 6-2 after 2:27 hours of play in a Brisbane International match on Monday. Dimitrov advances to the second round of the ATP 250 hard-court tournament.

Second seed Dimitrov secured victory with his 13th ace of the night. He hit 36 winners and 13 unforced errors. Three-time grand slam champion Murray finished with four aces, 17 winners and 19 unforced errors.

"It's never easy against Andy. We saw each other a couple of times during the week, we talked and I'm glad we met again on the court. I'm happy that there were so many people in the stands to support us," Dimitrov said in his on-court interview after the match.

"I have been in good health for the last six months and that allows me to be consistent in my game week after week. I give my best, but it's not that easy," he noted. “As soon as I came out here today I still felt a little rusty, to be honest, but I had to keep on fighting. I had to keep on finding my shots and going after my game. I had to keep on believing in the work that I’ve put in," Dimitrov added.

The Bulgarian will receive 25 points for the world ranking list and USD 10,965 for qualifying for the tournament's second round, where he will face either the Australian qualifier Li Tu or Germany's Daniel Altmaier.