The 2024 Laver Cup heated up in the first match of the night session as Grigor Dimitrov defeated Alejandro Tabilo 7-6(4), 7-6(2) in one of the most exciting matches in the competition’s seven-year history, giving Team Europe a 2-1 lead heading into the first doubles match of the weekend.

After two thrilling wins for Francisco Cerundolo and Stefanos Tsitsipas in the afternoon session of the opening day, Dimitrov and Tabilo treated tennis fans in Berlin’s Uber Arena and television viewers around the world to a feast of varied strokeplay. The two sets lasted two hours and 15 minutes and, despite a lull in the second set, the match came alive in two exciting tiebreaks.

One point stands out in every showreel as a comeback. After Tabilo got a mini-break early in the first set tiebreak, Dimitrov had to endure a lot of pressure. He held the point with his aggressive forehand and sliced ​​backhand, then pulled Tabilo into the net with a fine crosscourt drop volley. Tabilo read him and went crosscourt, but Dimitrov not only managed to get there, but stunned the crowd with a quick slice almost behind his back for the crosscourt victory. Dimitrov high-fived his captain Björn Borg as the tennis world applauded.

Dimitrov’s greater shot variety and flashy one-handed backhand meant he dictated many points, but Tabilo played his part in the classic. The Chilean left-hander served at a high level, used the full width of the court and was happy to land plenty of slices and drop shots, delivering some stunning tennis. And Dimitrov won despite wining several times due to a thigh injury, just two weeks after having to retire from his US Open quarter-final against Frances Tiafoe.

“I felt like we both played incredible points,” Tabilo said. “Grigor moves so well – he covers the court so well that you feel like you have to hit an extra shot. I felt like we both played great tennis. The first set was at an incredible level.”

Despite the dominance of the serve in the first set, there were many rallies that took the crowd’s breath away. Dimitrov hit a magnificent drop volley and moments later Tabilo hit a magnificent lob. Every square inch of the court was used, every angle sharpened as the artistry of both players came to the fore.

Dimitrov was certainly lucky. He fended off two break points in the fourth game, one of them with a completely lame net, but both men served so well that a tiebreak seemed likely even after two games. The golden fourth point of the tiebreak proved decisive as it allowed Dimitrov to level the score at 2-2. He then capitalized on a missed forehand at 5-4 to save two set points and took the set in 59 minutes with another long rally that rewarded him for his strong shots.

Tabilo didn’t really get into the game and had to fend off three break points in the second game of the second set. But when he got back on his feet, the game turned around. In the next game, he managed to break Dimitrov, as the Bulgarian’s aggressive hitting technique could not break through the Chilean’s defense.

Dimitrov’s next service game also failed, as his serve was no longer the impressive tool it had been in the first set, giving Tabilo a 5-1 lead as the match entered a lull.

But as everyone braced for a 10-point Laver breaker to decide the match, the second set turned again as Dimitrov stepped in and found his range again. Tabilo had two set points at 5-2 and 40-15 but lost four points in a row. He had a third set point at 5-4 but Dimitrov hit a stunning forehand return for a clean win. Dimitrov won five games in a row before Tabilo forced a second tiebreak.

Despite Dimitrov’s grimaces, his movements remained fluid and the point he won against Tabilo’s serve to make it 2-1 would have been the point of the day if it hadn’t been for the magic point in the first tiebreak. He showed the full range of his groundstrokes before dancing around and hitting a winning forehand shot from the inside out. Tabilo never recovered and Dimitrov only conceded one more point.

Despite the result, Tabilo believed he was able to take something positive from the recent losing streak. “I feel like I’m getting back into my game after a couple of tough matches,” he said. “Just knowing that I’m hitting all these shots tells me that if I can play more loosely, I can play more solidly and more aggressively.”