Porto Drama: Dimitar Kuzmanov Exits After Saving Four Match Points

Bulgaria's second-ranked tennis player, Dimitar Kuzmanov, has been eliminated in the second round (round of 16) of the Challenger 75 tournament in Porto, Portugal. The Plovdiv native fell to Spain's Miguel Damas in an incredibly hard-fought and dramatic match, lasting 3 hours and 28 minutes, with a final score of 5-7, 6-3, 6-7(3).

The opening set was evenly contested, with both players exchanging several breaks of serve. However, Damas managed to land a decisive blow towards the end, clinching the set 7-5. In the second set, Kuzmanov seized the initiative, dominating play and securing an early break to close out the set 6-3, leveling the match.

The deciding third set delivered immense drama for spectators. Miguel Damas was the first to break and served for the match at 6-5. At this critical juncture, Kuzmanov displayed exceptional resilience, saving four match points against his opponent and successfully breaking back to force a tie-break. In the extended game, however, the Spanish competitor proved more consistent, winning it 7-3 to secure the overall victory.

By reaching the second round of the main draw, Kuzmanov recorded three consecutive victories in Porto – two in the qualifiers against José Freitas (6-0, 6-1) and Maxime Janvier (6-4, 4-6, 6-2), as well as a win over Alafia Ayeni (6-2, 1-6, 6-3) in the first round. His performance in Portugal earned the Bulgarian tennis player 10 points for the ATP world rankings.