Former champion Grigor Dimitrov started his 2019 season perfectly on Monday at the Brisbane International. The 2017 titlist outplayed Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka, saving six of seven break points and advancing 6-3, 6-4.
“I felt I was actually hitting the ball quite all right for our first match of the year... There [were] a few things that I would like to maybe improve in the next match, but overall I think it's off to a positive start,” Dimitrov said.
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The title Down Under in 2017 kicked off Dimitrov's best year yet. He reached the Australian Open semi-finals, won the Nitto ATP Finals (d. Goffin) and finished a personal best No. 3 in the year-end ATP Rankings.
But the Bulgarian struggled to duplicate that run during 2018, finishing last season just inside the Top 20, at No. 19. He'll next face Aussie John Millman or American Tennys Sandgren.
Milos Raonic, another former Brisbane champion, also advanced in straight sets. The 2016 titlist dropped only two points on his first serve (93%, 27/29) and hit 18 aces during a 6-0, 6-3 win against Slovenia's Aljaz Bedene. The Canadian will next face Serbian qualifier Miomir Kecmanovic or Leonardo Mayer of Argentina.
Top seed Rafael Nadal leads the Brisbane field, which also includes two-time champion Andy Murray and last year's titlist Nick Kyrgios.
from Tennis - ATP World Tour http://bit.ly/2EYrcMn
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