The 18-year-old Alexander Vasilev lost to the 72nd in the world men’s ranking Raphaël Collignon in the opening match of Bulgaria’s historic tie against Belgium for the Davis Cup. The young Bulgarian star played more than admirably against the far more experienced contestant at Kolodruma Hall in Plovdiv town, however Collignon defeated him with a score of 6:3, 6:3. 

"It was a new thing for me as I played against a rival, ranking at No72 in the world and who has triumphed over some very good tennis players. Experience prevailed, as Collignon had played much larger number of matches in global tournaments and more matches for the Davis cup than me. But it is a matter of time to reach such a level of playing. What is important to me is that I managed to enjoy and play tennis at my best. The audience in Plovdiv was awesome; it was probably the most fully packed tennis court at which I have ever played. It was incredible to be part of this match", said Alexander Vasilev.

Before the historic match of Bulgaria in the World Group for the Davis Cup against the semi-finalist from the last edition of this tournament - Belgium - United Bulgarian Bank announced their long-standing support for Alexander Vasilev and Ivan Ivanov, who had become ambassadors of UBB and Mastercard.