site.btaIvan Ivanov Becomes Second-Youngest Bulgarian to Debut in Men's Top-tier Tennis Tour

Bulgarian tennis talent and two-time junior Grand Slam winner Ivan Ivanov made his debut in the top-tier tennis tour for men, the ATP Tour, on Tuesday, losing 4-6 2-6 to former No. 45 and current No. 117 in the world Jannick Hanfmann. Ivanov took part in the main draw of the Vanda Pharmaceuticals Hellenic Championship in Athens after receiving wildcard for the competitions by the organizers. 

The 17-year-old became the second-youngest Bulgarian to play in a main draw of an ATP event after Adrian Andreev debuted in Sofia in 2018 on 16 years and 271 days. Ivanov turned 17 on October 30. 

This match was not the first milestone achieved by Ivanov in 2025, as earlier in the year he won the junior Wimbledon and US Open titles, reaching No. 1 in ITF's World Tennis Tour Junior Rankings. 

On Tuesday, his 33-year-old opponent served well throughout the match with 75% first serve percentage and 12 aces, saving the only break point he faced at the beginning of the second set. That was the biggest difference between the two as the teenager got his serve broken once in the first set and twice in the second.