By Erik Gudris | Sunday, January 18, 2015

 

Grigor Dimitrov put together a solid straight sets win in his Australian Open first round match.

Photo Credit: Corleve

Grigor Dimitrov proved that slow and steady is always a better game plan than being a "hot shot" in his Australian Open first round match.

Australian Open: By The Numbers on Day One

Dimitrov's opener against Germany's Dustin Brown was billed as a potential shotmaking clinic as play got underway at the first Grand Slam of the year. But early on the No. 10 seed proved he was ready to stay solid even when his opponent tried for the obvious crowd-pleasing shot.

Dimitrov walked away with a straight sets win in just 79 minutes on day one of the event.

"Yeah, it was a good start for me. Of course, I expected it to be tricky. The conditions were good. Court was great. I think it was just a little tough for everyone to get into that rhythm, to get used to the court. It was pretty windy today, so, yeah, I think overall it's been a good start for me," Dimitrov said.

Though the always flashy Brown tried to drop shot his way into contention during the opening set, Dimitrov would have none of it. The Bulgarian jumped out to an early lead and then ripped a backhand passing shot to take the set.

Dimitrov seized the second set and had little trouble in the third. With a total of 30 winners, including an ace on match point, Dimitrov clinched the match 6-2, 6-3, 6-2.

"Yeah, it's never easy to play against him. I believe I played against him on clay court maybe three, four years ago. I remember it was tight three sets. You don't know what to expect against him," Dimitrov reflected on the match. "After a couple breaks I already knew the match can go on my side, but at the same I have to stay focused. It's best-of-five sets and you never know what kind of shot or ball can take you out of that momentum."

Dimitrov is considered an outside favorite to perhaps win the title. That's due in large part to his ongoing coaching relationship with Roger Rasheed.

"It's never easy. But at the same time, I think we sort of found our way of practicing, of scheduling, of doing things in the right way," Dimitrov said about his coaching arrangement. "I still don't believe we were perfect, but we're still working on that, too, to get the right groove every time you come to an event or whether it's off-season or anything like that. So I think he brought a lot of good things into my game. I would like to say it's always been about the details, especially when it comes to big matches, big moments. That's quarterfinals, semifinals, and all the slams, of course."

Dimitrov will next play Slovakia's Lukas Lacko in the second round.