Grigor Dimitrov made his maiden-appearance at the Delray Beach Open on Monday, defeating Dudi Sela of Israel 6-4, 6-2 in round one. On a day full of bad weather in South Florida, when both players finally made it to court, they both had to deal with heavy wind, gusting up to 30 miles per hour, throughout the match. Coming into this contest, the Bulgarian held a three-to-zero head-to-head over the 92nd ranked Israeli. The world number 28 made it four victories over the 30-year old Israeli number one with the comfortable straight sets win.
Dimitrov Uses One Break to Take First Set
Early on, both players first had to deal with the added element of the wind before they settled in. Through six games, each player held his own. In the 7th game, however, Dimitrov found his footing and broke Sela after a lengthy game. He easily consolidated the break in the very next game to increase his lead to five games to three. Almost immediately after that, Dimitrov quickly held two set points, but Sela was not ready to give in.
Using the wind to his advantage, he fought off the set points before later holding serve. After failing to seal the set in the previous game, Dimitrov made no mistake in his next service game, taking the opening set 6-4 on his fifth set point. Despite only serving at 54% on his first serves, he won 87% of first serve points, helping him take the set despite the tough conditions.
Number Four Seed Breaks Early And Often To Seal Match
After the less-then-stellar opening set, the world number 28 took no time in getting off to a faster start in the second set. The Bulgarian fourth seed broke Sela right away in the opening game. He quickly consolidated the break, and it was clear that Dimitrov had this one wrapped up. The former Wimbledon semifinalist broke the Israeli once more later on in the set to take complete control of this first round matchup. Up five games to two, 40-30, Dimitrov forced the error from the Israeli, sealing the victory. In the second set, the fourth seed won 100% of his first serve points as well as 70% of his second serve points. Dimitrov found ways to get past the difficult wind to take the match easily.
Dimitrov Confirms Tough Conditions
After the match, the former Wimbledon semifinalist acknowleged the difficult conditions. "It was rough, very hard to control the ball,” said Dimitrov. “But it's all in the game. Things were flying all over the court. You just have to prepare mentally and keep moving your feet."
The fourth seeded Dimitrov will face the winner of Damir Dzumhur and Ricardas Berankis in the round of 16.