TENNIS Master 1000 Madrid – Two of the ATP rising stars, Latvia’s Ernests Gulbis and Ukraine’s Alexandr Dolgopolov faced each other for a place in the ATP Masters 1000 Mutua Madrid Open 3rd round. It was Gulbis who came out on top as his monster serving proved to be the decisive factor with a straight sets victory 6-3 6-4. Cordell Hackshaw
Interviews, results, order of play and draws of the Mutua Madrid Open
Two of the ATP rising stars, Latvia’s Ernests Gulbis and Ukraine’s Alexandr Dolgopolov faced each other for a place in the ATP Masters 1000 Mutua Madrid Open 3rd round. The two 25-year-olds split their two previous encounters with Dolgopolov getting the better of Gulbis several weeks ago in Monte Carlo. There was quite a bit of buzz around this match as both players have a similar style of play, preferring to pound away from the baselines and go for big shots. They can also be a bit of “characters” as they are known for their antics on and off the court. It seems that this year they both decided to make the big push for the top 10 and establish themselves as real contenders for the big tournaments. However, today, it was Gulbis who came out on top as his monster serving proved to be the decisive factor with a straight sets victory 6-3 6-4.
Dolgopolov got the early break in the match at 2-1 but was unable to consolidate to edge ahead in the set. Gulbis held serve to go up 3-2 and broke the Ukrainian in the 6th game and held serve again to lead 5-2. Dolgopolov at times seemed desperate to assert himself in the match but he was kept at bay behind the baseline as Gulbis served to perfection. Even on second serves, Dolgopolov thought it prudent to return far behind the baseline in an effort to get a play on the ball. In the end his efforts here proved futile as Gulbis was able to close out the set 6-3. Gulbis won 75% of his first serves points compared to a measly 56% by his opponent.
In the second set, Gulbis only got better. Gulbis gave himself three break chances to take the opening game of the set but Dolgopolov did well to save them all and held. However, Gulbis showed that he too can play big tennis during clutch moments, as he saved three break points in his 1st service game. Dolgopolov was unable to break down the Gulbis serve and this in turn gave the Latvian confident to be more aggressive on his return game. The relentless effort of Gulbis paid off as he broke in the 7th game to go up 4-3. As he attempted to serve out the match, Gulbis’ resolve seemed to have wavered as Dolgopolov earned himself two break points to get back on serve. Gulbis held his nerves and served it out with some monster serving, 6-3 6-4 to next face Marin Cilic for a place in the quarterfinals.
Gulbis should be pleased with his performance in this match. He kept his cool throughout and found his range for much of the match. The match statistics show he was playing at a high level. He won 78% of his first serves, 55% of his second serves and saved 6/7 break points. In the first set alone, Gulbis had 13 winners. Dolgopolov, on the other hand, needs to work on his consistency and focus. He showed himself to be more than a capable player in the past and most recently by getting to the semifinal of Indian Wells this year, beating Rafael Nadal on the way. It is good to see that both Gulbis and Dolgopolov are becoming more settled on tour. Hopefully, this translates to more quality results from them both for the rest of the year.