site.btaBulgarian Tennis Player Grigor Dimitrov Reaches Third Round of Masters Tournament in Rome

Bulgaria's highest ranked male player, Grigor Dimitrov qualified Friday for the third round of the Italian Open, a Masters clay court tournament in Rome. The eight seed scored a 7-5 6-4 victory against Japanese Yoshihito Nishioka after 97 minutes on the court. 

Dimitrov's best result in the Italian capital came in 2014 when he reached the semifinals of the event. On Friday, he served at a high level throughout the match, scoring 11 aces and not giving his opponent a single breakpoint. 

The Bulgarian lost just 9 out of 53 points on his serve. 

"I am happy with the win," Dimitrov said in the on-court interview, quoted by ATP's official website. "It was a difficult match today. A lefty in the first match is never easy. The conditions were the warmest this year. Clay, lefty, so everything adds up, but I am happy to finish in straight sets."

In the next round Dimitrov will meet world No. 137 Terence Atmane after the French qualifier advanced when Lorenzo Musetti retired.