Brisbane, Dec 31 (IANS): Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov on Monday beat Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka 6-3 6-4 to qualify for the second round of Brisbane International.
Dimitrov took a step closer to winning his second Brisbane title after he struck nine aces and saved six break points at the tournament's first round, reports Efe news.
"I felt I was actually hitting the ball quite all right for our first match of the year," the 27-year-old said.
"There (were) a few things that I would like to maybe improve in the next match, but overall I think it is off to a positive start," he added.
The sixth seed is set to take on the winner of the match between Australia's John Millman and Tennys Sandgren of the United States next.