ATP Tour

Dimitrov fit & firing again in Brisbane, Norrie saves 3 MPs

Grigor Dimitrov showed little sign of rust on Tuesday at the Brisbane International presented by ANZ, where he earned victory in just his second match since he suffered a pectoral injury against Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon in July.

The Bulgarian moved past Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3, 6-2 to advance to the second round at the ATP 250 event in Brisbane, where he is a two-time champion.

Three months after his Wimbledon injury, Dimitrov returned to Tour at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Paris, earning a win against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in late October. However, his return was brief, with the 34-year-old withdrawing ahead of his second-round match.

“It is so good to see you guys," Dimitrov said. "Starting the year here is always so special for me. I am just grateful. These months have been very difficult in terms of preparation, mentality. My body had so much to go through, but just to be able to compete again today, it is already a success and of course winning is just an added bonus right now. I am feeling good, I was feeling well on the court, so let’s see how we go.”

Dimitrov will hope he can stay fit and enjoy a productive start to the 2026 season. The former World No. 3 was close to his best throughout the 68-minute match against Carreno Busta and will next meet Raphael Collignon.

There was no winning return for Nick Kyrgios, though, with the Australian losing to Aleksandar Kovacevic. The American earned a 6-3, 6-4 win against the 30-year-old to book his spot in the second round in Brisbane.

Kyrgios was competing in a tour-level singles match for the first time since playing at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Miami last March. However, he had few answers against Kovacevic, who reached ATP Tour finals in Montpellier and Los Cabos in 2025.

Kovacevic will next meet seventh seed Cameron Norrie. The British lefty earned a hard-fought 1-6, 7-6(6), 7-5 comeback win against Frenchman Ugo Humbert. Norrie saved three match points from 3/6 behind in the second-set tie-break, eventually advancing after two hours and 36 minutes. Norrie is level at 2-2 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Humbert.

Big-serving Frenchman Mpetshi Perricard upset fourth seed Tommy Paul on the American’s return to Tour, triumphing 7-6(2), 3-6, 7-6(6). Mpetshi Perricard, who advanced to the semi-finals in Brisbane last season, struck 24 aces en route to victory, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Paul was playing for the first time since he lost in the third round at the US Open in August. The American suffered from a left foot injury in the closing months of 2025.

Brandon Nakashima was also a winner on Tuesday in Brisbane, overcoming second seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-6(4), 6-4. Collignon also defeated a seed, moving past fifth seed Denis Shapovalov 6-4, 6-2. In a battle between two Australians, Rinky Hijikata dispatched Adam Walton 6-3, 6-2.