Laver Cup: Grigor Dimitrov and Kyle Edmund send Team Europe 2-0 in front
The second edition of the Laver Cup has kicked off today in Chicago. After the opening two singles matches it is Europe that leads 2-0 against the Team World.
Wins from Grigor Dimitrov and Kyle Edmund, World number 7 Grigor Dimitrov is having a season to forget so far, winning 10 matches until Rotterdam and only 12 in the next seven months.
He is staying far away from the Top 8 in the ATP Race and not having too many chances left to earn enough points and reach the ATP Finals where he scored all five wins in 2017.
Dimitrov played well in his Chicago opener, though, ousting Frances Tiafoe 6-1 6-4 in 66 minutes to deliver the opening point for the Team Europe.
These two have played a month ago at Canada Masters and Grigor prevailed in the final set tie break, with Taifoe unable to repeat the similar drama today, less than a week after his heroic run in the Davis Cup semi-final against Croatia in Zadar.
Dimitrov fired 10 aces and he served at 70%, losing just 10 points on serve and facing just two break points to get broken once.
On the other hand, he won almost 50% of the points on the return, converting all four break points he created to control the scoreboard all the time.
The Bulgarian found the great rhythm right from the start and he broke in game two after forcing a backhand error from Frances in game two. Grigor moved 5-1 ahead after another break in game six and he closed the opening set with an ace in the next game after just 26 minutes.
Nothing could separate them in the opening five games of the second set and it was Tiafoe who created a break chance in game six (he won a 36-shot rally in that game), only to be denied by a forehand winner from Dimitrov who leveled the score at 3-3 after another great forehand.
Frances suffered a break in the next game when his forehand landed long but he broke back in the next game after a poor drop shot from Grigor.
Still, the American sprayed another unforced error with his backhand to lose serve in the ninth game and Grigor sealed the deal with a hold at love in the game that followed, landing an ace down the T line to bring the opening point for his team on his Laver Cup debut.
