Grigor Dimitrov defeated Quentin Halys to reach the quarter-finals of the ATP 250 Nordic Open
Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) successfully started his participation in the ATP 250 Nordic Open tennis tournament in Stockholm. He entered the competition directly from the second round and defeated Quentin Halys (France) by 2-0 (7:6(1), 6:3) in one hour and 41 minutes.
The ATP No 95, Quentin Halys, put up serious resistance in the first set, which ended in a tiebreak, but Grigor Dimitrov then took full control and went to victory in straight sets. In the next round, his opponent will be Dominic Stephan Stricker (Switzerland), who surprisingly eliminated Matteo Berrettini (Italy).
Grigor Dimitrov is the champion of the ATP 250 Nordic Open in 2013, when he defeated David Ferrer in the final, and also has two more finals in Stockholm, losing to Tomas Berdych and Juan MartÃn del Potro.
Quentin Halys reached a match against the Bulgarian tennis player, after eliminating Sumit Nagal by 2-0 (6:0, 6:4). For the French tennis player, it was the first victory in an ATP tournament since July in Gstaad.
The match between Grigor Dimitrov and Quentin Halys started with a fast game in favor of the French player, who skillfully used her opening shot and did not give his opponent a chance to show the power of his return. The Bulgarian had some hesitation on his first stand at the service line, but equalized the score despite double-faulting for 30-30.
Quentin Halys tended to shorten the serve and relied heavily on her forehand. Grigor Dimitrov apparently needed some time to adjust to his opponent’s style. In the fourth game, the Bulgarian tennis player made several unprovoked errors and this led to a break in favor of the Frenchman.
Grigor Dimitrov immediately took measures and made a re-break. He took Quentin Halys’ serve on the second try after waiting for his opponent’s forehand out. Before that, the Frenchman kept himself in the game thanks to his strong serve, but in the forehands he was unable to counter.
The score was 3:3 after Grigor Dimitrov got out of a difficult game in which he went through a draw. The Bulgarian player was close to a second consecutive break, but the serve came to Quentin Halys’ rescue again. The Frenchman trailed 15-40 before his opening shot turned the tide of the game.
Grigor Dimitrov was not able to place consecutive good serves, but he was almost flawless from the baseline. The intelligent game of the Bulgarian saved him from problems in the eighth game – 4:4. Quentin Halys responded with the tried and tested service-net combination and forced Grigor Dimitrov to serve to stay in the set.
The task proved difficult and the 2013 champion had to fend off three set points and the game went through six draws before an ace in rights brought peace to Grigor Dimitrov. Quentin Halys did not give in to the disappointment and quickly managed to lead 6:5, again thanks mostly to her serve. Grigor Dimitrov coped under pressure and reached a tiebreak. In it, the opening shot of the Bulgarian worked, and that of Quentin Halys stopped functioning and the result was not late – 7-1 and a set in favor of Grigor Dimitrov.
At the start of the second set, the Bulgarian player took his serve easily, but so did Quentin Halys. The two exchanged another quick game to 2:2. Grigor Dimitrov was serving more and more precisely and this gave him the necessary confidence. The first break points came in the fifth game and went in favor of Grigor Dimitrov. A backhand on the line saved Quentin Halys, and then two consecutive excellent serves restored parity – 3:3. An easy game followed for Grigor Dimitrov, who was winning his serves much faster than his opponent.
Put under pressure, Quentin Halys folded in the eighth game. The French played with maximum risk and reflected two breakpoints at 15-40, but Grigor Dimitrov reached another chance and took advantage of it. The rest was easy and Grigor Dimitrov calmly closed the match with a game to zero.
