Bulgaria and Denmark are tied 1-1 after the first day of their Davis Cup World Group I tie, held at the Royal Stage arena in Hillerod, near Copenhagen.
In the second singles match, 21-year-old Bulgarian Iliyan Radulov was defeated by Denmark’s Holger Rune, a former world number four, with a score of 3-6, 3-6. The match lasted 88 minutes. Although Radulov secured an early break to lead 3-2 in the first set, Rune responded by winning four consecutive games to take the set and maintained his momentum through the second.
Earlier in the day, Bulgaria’s top-ranked player Grigor Dimitrov secured a victory for his team by overcoming Elmer Moller 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-4.
The competition continues on Saturday at 13:00 local time with a doubles match featuring the Bulgarian pair Alexander Donski and Piotr Nesterov against Denmark’s August Holmgren and Carl Emil Overbeck. Following the doubles, the remaining two singles matches will be played. The tie is decided by a best-of-five format, with the first team to reach three victories advancing.
The Bulgarian team, led by captain Valentin Dимов, includes Grigor Dimitrov, Alexander Donski, Piotr Nesterov, Iliyan Radulov, Alexander Vasilev, and Ivan Ivanov. The Danish team is captained by Frederik Nielsen and features Holger Rune, Elmer Moller, August Holmgren, Carl Emil Overbeck, and Johannes Ingildsen.
The outcome of this tie is significant for Bulgaria, as a victory would secure a return to the Davis Cup World Group. A loss would require the team to compete in a playoff next February to remain in World Group I.
Article source: www.24chasa.bg | Image credit: www.24chasa.bg