Brilliant Return for Dimitrov: The Bulgarian Imposes His Law Against Mpetshi Perricard in Paris

The Bulgarian, in full control, outclassed Mpetshi Perricard after a tight first set, confirming a nice return to form after several weeks away from the courts.

An ideal return to competition for Grigor Dimitrov. Absent since Wimbledon and his withdrawal in the round of 16 against Jannik Sinner, the Bulgarian defeated Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 7-6, 6-1 in his opening match at the Rolex Paris Masters.

The first set, without much surprise, went to a tie-break. In that tie-break, Dimitrov made the difference, thus taking control of the match a little over an hour into play.

In the second set, the 34-year-old player quickly wrapped things up by breaking Mpetshi Perricard's serve twice, before finishing the match with a love break.

Dimitrov thus secures his 25th victory in the tournament, becoming the player with the fourth most wins in Paris behind Tomas Berdych (27), Boris Becker (29), and Novak Djokovic (50).

The level is expected to rise a notch in the second round against Daniil Medvedev or Jaume Munar.