Grigor Dimitrov began his 18th season in professional tennis with a strong performance, securing a two-set victory at the ATP 250 tournament in Brisbane. The Bulgarian, seeded second, defeated German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann 7:6(5), 6:3 in 1 hour and 47 minutes.

Dimitrov initially faced some challenges in the match. In the fourth game, he had two break points but failed to capitalize on them. Hanfmann then took advantage of a double fault by Dimitrov to earn two consecutive break points, converting the first after a misfire by the Bulgarian. However, Dimitrov responded quickly, breaking back with a well-placed passing shot to level the score at 3-3.

The first set proceeded to a tiebreak, where Dimitrov showed his dominance, taking a 5-1 lead. At 6-3, he secured the set with a return that went long from Hanfmann, earning applause from the many Bulgarian supporters in the crowd.

In the second set, Dimitrov faced a break point early but managed to hold serve. In the third game, he broke Hanfmann’s serve after leading 40-0. Although Hanfmann fought back and held serve in the next game, Dimitrov kept his composure, saving another break point in the sixth game. He eventually reached match point in the ninth game and sealed the victory after Hanfmann's shot went out.

The world number 10 fired 9 aces and committed 3 double faults, while winning 87% of his service points, having hit 60% of his first serves. Dimitrov's victory marked his 24th in Brisbane.

Next, Dimitrov will face Aleksandar Vukic from Australia, currently ranked 68th in the world.