site.btaDay 1 of Bulgaria-Finland Davis Cup Tie Ends in Draw

Tennis player Ivan Ivanov suffered a 2-6 2-6 defeat against Emil Ruusuvuori on Saturday. After the first day of the Davis Cup World Group I tie in Plovdiv, the score between Bulgaria and Finland is even at 1-1. 

The former world No. 37 was in control of the match against the 16-year-old Bulgarian and secured the win in 64 minutes. 

Earlier in the day, Alexander Vasilev got the better of world No. 141 Otto Virtanen to give Bulgaria the lead. The teenager staged a 6-3 7-5 victory.

On Sunday, Alexander Donski and Petr Nesterov will meet Harri Heliovaara and Eero Vasa in the doubles before the next singles matches. The tie is played until one of the teams earns three wins out of a maximum of five matches.

If Bulgaria wins the tie, the team will advance to the Davis Cup Qualifiers in February next year (2026). In case of a loss, the team will have to play a relegation playoff in February 2026 to stay in World Group I.