A 10-shot rally midway through the second set encapsulated Connor Gannon’s afternoon at Elm Park on Wednesday. It was competitive and gutsy, but eventually ended in Grigor Dimitrov’s favour. The Dubliner pushed former world number three Dimitrov in patches but couldn’t prevent a 6-2, 6-3 defeat in their Round of 16 clash the ATP Challenger Dublin as the Bulgarian used his imperious first serve as a weapon throughout. Gannon broke to lead 3-0 in the second set before Dimitrov reeled off four consecutive games, a momentum shift from which the 24-year-old never fully recovered.But Gannon was competitive on Dimitrov’s second serve, winning 58 per cent of the return points compared to his opponent’s 43. The class gap closed when the match slowed down, but Dimitrov simply limited those opportunities. “He put me under so much pressure and anxiety,” Gannon added. “His shots are incredible. I’ve never faced that, even in practice.”Dimitrov, playing in Dublin for the first time after accepting a wild card for the tournament, admitted the occasion was part of the appeal. “You hardly get the chance to play at new places during the year. Clearly, here was my choice.”But there was some cause for celebration among the home crowd before the day was out, Gannon partnering Charlie Barry in men’s doubles to take a 6-4, 6-2 win over Venezuela’s Juan Jose Bianchi and Brandon Perez.The Irish pair will now face Trey Hilderbrand (USA) and Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli (India) in the quarter-final on Thursday.