Alexander Vasilev delivered a remarkable achievement for Bulgarian tennis, securing a historic victory over Finland in the Davis Cup – the world’s premier team competition in men’s tennis. The 18-year-old, currently ranked No. 2 in the junior world rankings, defeated Emil Ruusuvuori, a former world No. 37, with 7:6 (5), 6:4 after two hours of play. With this triumph, Vasilev sealed Bulgaria’s 3:2 overall win in the tie, ensuring the nation a place in the qualification round for entry into the prestigious World Group next February.
The opening set unfolded with both players firmly holding their serves, showing composure in the early stages. The first signs of pressure appeared in the ninth game, when Vasilev had to fight through four consecutive deuces and fend off a break point to keep his service game. In the following game, the Bulgarian created two set-point chances on Ruusuvuori’s serve, but the Finn held strong and leveled the score at 5:5. Each then comfortably secured their next service games, sending the set to a decisive tiebreak.
The tiebreak began with Vasilev racing to a 3:0 lead, only for Ruusuvuori, Finland’s second-ranked player, to claw back to 3:3. Unshaken, the young Bulgarian regained momentum by winning three consecutive points, giving himself three opportunities to clinch the set. After letting two slip away on his opponent’s serve, he capitalized on the third chance with authority, closing the set in his favor after one hour and 12 minutes of intense play.
Buoyed by the breakthrough, Vasilev carried his confidence into the second set, displaying consistency from the baseline and immediately striking with an early break to move ahead 2:1. He quickly consolidated the advantage to 3:1 and continued to hold his serve comfortably, building his lead to 5:3. Although Ruusuvuori managed to stay in contention by taking his next service game, Vasilev showed poise under pressure. In front of an electrified crowd at TC “Lokomotiv Plovdiv,” he closed out the match 6:4, sealing both the victory for himself and a milestone triumph for Bulgarian tennis.