Grigor Dimitrov is among the European stars looking to get Team Europe back to winning ways at the Laver Cup.
Carlos Alcaraz wants to play doubles with Dimitrov, but the Spaniard ended up pairing with Alexander Zverev on day one.
They lost their meeting with Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton, but Dimitrov emerged victorious from his clash with Alejandro Tabilo.
In a very lengthy encounter at the Laver Cup, the 33-year-old Bulgarian overcame the Chilean 7-6(7-4), 7-6(7-2).
The match went on for over two hours, with Team Europe captain Bjorn Borg perhaps unsurprisingly leaving Dimitrov out of the action on day two.
Grigor Dimitrov equals Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic record
Team Europe won the first four Laver Cups under Borg, but Team World captain John McEnroe has tasted success in the last two.
The teams went into day two level at 2-2, with Dimitrov joining a handful of legendary figures on an exclusive list after his win.
As per OptaAce, he became the fourth player aged 30+ to win a Laver Cup singles match for Team Europe after Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Team Europe much stronger on paper at the Laver Cup
The names of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic need no introduction, with the trio having shone in recent editions of the Laver Cup.
Only once, however, did they manage to line out for Team Europe at the same Laver Cup, where they were joined by Andy Murray.
Remarkably it was Team World who emerged victorious from that edition in 2022, with McEnroe guiding his side to a shock 13-8 win.
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Federer still has ‘incredible’ memories of the tournament, having made the decision to retire from tennis immediately after.
It remains to be seen how the current edition will play out, but again it is undoubtedly Team Europe who are strongest on paper.
Five of Borg’s six players are in the top-10, although team effort often outweighs talent given the nature of the Laver Cup.
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