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6/10/09 9:23 PM | Kelli DeMario
Third seed Gilles Simon debuted strongly at the AEGON Championships Wednesday evening, taking out talented wildcard Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets.
World No. 7 Gilles Simon, looking to rebound from a sub-par outing at the French Open two weeks ago, made a successful start at the Queen’s Club tournament on Wednesday, defeating 18-year-old Bulgarian wildcard Grigor Dimitrov in two sets, 7-6, 7-6. The 24-year-old Frenchman, playing in his first AEGON Championships, is through to the round of 16.
Both players began the match in solid fashion, neither one facing a break point in the opening set. Dimitrov drew first blood in the first-set tie-break, taking a 5-3 advantage on a wild backhand error from Simon. The more experienced Simon won two points in a row, closing the gap at 5-5. Dimitrov earned set points at 6-5 and 7-6, but could not convert either one. A steady Simon reached 8-7 in the tie-break, closing the 48-minute set on an ace.
Simon survived a marathon 14-minute game at 1-2 in the second set, saving a couple of break points along the way. Dimitrov took a 4-2 lead behind a host of solid ground strokes, capturing the first break of the match on a backhand winner down-the-line. The Frenchman recovered the service break immediately to reach 4-3, benefitting from a sloppy backhand error from the Bulgarian. Simon raised his level of play in the second-set tie-break, quickly building a 5-2 lead behind an improved percentage of first-serves made. The Frenchman missed his first match point opportunity at 6-4, but connected on the second after forcing the Bulgarian into a backhand error.
Simon will take to the court against 14th seed Mikhail Youzhny in the round of 16. The Russian defeated wildcard Marcos Baghdatis in straight sets Wednesday afternoon, 6-4, 7-6.
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