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03/28/2024 08:31:12 pm

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Paribas Masters: Grigor Dimitrov Wins Opener, Sets Up Clash Against Andy Murray

Bulgarian star Grigor Dimitrov won his opening match against Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay and has set up a clash against eight seeded Andy Murray at the third round of the PNB Paribas Masters in Paris on Wednesday.

The ninth seeded Bulgarian started off hot in the first set as he broke Cuevas three times to hand over the Uruguayan a "bagel" and continued his onslaught in the second set as Dimitrov broke Cuevas again to record his first victory over the 28-year-old Concordia native 6-0 6-3 in a match that lasted just over an hour.

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Dimitrov is set for a showdown against Britain's No. 1 Murray in the third round which the Bulgarian needs to win in order to keep his chances alive to qualify for the year-ending ATP World Tour Finals.

The Valencia Open 500 champion had little trouble against hometown favorite Julien Benneteau as Murray broke the Frenchman once in the first set to take the early lead but Benneteau fought back in the second set as he broke the Scot once to keep within striking distance of the Shenzhen Open titlist.

But the Erste Bank Open champion is not to be outdone, who claimed crowns from three of the last five tournaments after the U.S. Open, Murray rallied back to break Benneteau twice to win the set and the match 6-3 6-4 that lasted 71 minutes.

The eighth seeded Murray needs to win against Dimitrov in order to clinch a spot in London.

"I put in a lot of hard work the last few weeks; played a lot of tough, long matches," Murray said. "If I get into London, I deserve to be there, because it's your results across the whole year."

Murray knows that his third round matchup against Dimitrov is quite important, especially for the Bulgarian.

"[Dimitrov] still has a decent chance at getting into London, so he'd be pretty motivated," Murray said. "It will be a good match for both of us."

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