Dimitrov marks debut with narrow win over Thiem

LONDON: It had been a long time coming but Grigor Dimitrov’s belated first appearance at the ATP Finals did not disappoint as he outlasted Austrian Dominic Thiem 6-3, 5-7, 7-5 in a gripping afternoon duel.

The 26-year-old, finally beginning to consistently deliver on his huge potential, edged the so-called “battle of the backhands” after a compelling two hours 21 minutes.

Dimitrov, the first Bulgarian to qualify for the tournament in its 48-year-old history, overcame some late jitters to prevail in the opening Pete Sampras Group match.

The world number six served for the match at 5-4 in the decider but was broken to love before two consecutive double faults by Thiem gave him another chance to close it out.

Again Dimitrov wobbled, squandering two match points at 40-15 with a double-fault and a tight forehand error, but he finally bagged the win when Thiem looped a backhand long.

“The first time I got broken (at 5-4) I thought ‘okay let’s get back up and try again’,” Dimitrov, who enjoyed some noisy support from a contingent of Bulgarian fans, said on court.

“I’m living my dream right now and I wanna keep on going.” — Reuters