Sebastian Baez defeated Grigor Dimitrov in the opening round of the Masters 1000 in Cincinnati. The scoreline of 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 says little about the magnitude of the struggle. The Argentine started quietly, saw the Bulgarian open a 1-4 lead in the deciding set, and still left the court with the win.

The comeback did not come all at once.

Dimitrov controlled the third set with the authority of someone who won the tournament in 2017. He served well, varied his pace, and Baez was missing more than hitting. Until the Argentine found a solid return and turned the match around. He broke twice. Gained momentum. The crowd’s push did the rest.

There was no tie-break. There was no final drama. Baez won the last five games and closed it out 6-4.

In the second round, the Argentine will face Learner Tien.