Grigor Dimitrov edged this year’s Rio de Janeiro’s finalist Gianluca Mager 7-5 6-1 in 74 minutes at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in the Foro Italico in Rome. Dimitrov won seven consecutive games from 5-5 in the first set to score his 10th win of the season.
Both players traded breaks in the fourth and fifth games of the opening set. Dimitrov earned his second break in the 12th game to win the first set 7-5. The Bulgarian player went up a double break in the second and fourth games to win the second set 6-1.
Dimitrov, who reached the semifinal in Rome in 2014, set up a second round match against either Yoshito Nishioka or Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic.
Former Rome semifinalist Marin Cilic came back from one set down to beat Alexander Bublik 6-7 (4-7) 6-2 6-4 after 2 hours and 14 minutes securing a spot in the second round.
Cilic was not able to convert a set point on Bublik’s serve at 4-5 30-40 and fended off four break points in his next service game. Bublik won the final three points from 4-4 to win the tie-break 7-4. Cilic broke twice in the first and the seventh games to win the second set 6-2 and once in the third game of the decider to seal the win setting up a second round match against David Goffin.
Kei Nishikori beat Albert Ramos Vinolas 6-4 7-6 (7-3) to score his first win since the 2019 US Open. The Japanese star earned his only break of the match in the 10th game to win the opening set 6-4. Ramos Vinolas saved a total of nine break points in the second set, which came down to tie-break with no breaks. Nishikori converted his sixth match point to seal the win after 2 hours and four minutes. Nishikori saved two break points he faced and converted one of the ten break points he faced. Nishikori will face either three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka or Italian qualifier and 2019 Australian Open Junior champion Lorenzo Musetti.
Last year’s Next Gen ATP champion Jannik Sinner eased past Benoit Paire 6-2 6-1 with two breaks in each set setting up a second round match against reigning ATP Finals champion Stefanos Tsitsipas.
