2011 Qatar ExxonMobil Open: Preview – Rafael Nadal vs. Ernests Gulbis
An ATP 250 event, the Qatar ExxonMobil is one of the three season openers, which takes place in Doha, Qatar in January. Having seen its eight quarterfinalists on Wednesday, the event will see all four quarterfinals on Thursday.
Competing at the event is world number 1 Rafael “Rafa” Nadal. In his hopes of a title win at Doha, Nadal faces fifth seed and world number 29 Ernests Gulbis in their quarterfinal match. Meeting for the fourth time on the courts,
the Spaniard currently enjoys a perfect 3-0 lead in the pair’s head-to-head score. Given the disparity in their rankings, it will be of no surprise to anyone should the Spaniard extend his lead to 4-0 in the match tomorrow. The pair’s latest meeting on the
courts came in the semis of the Rome Masters where Nadal defeated Gulbis en route to a title win at the event.
The 24-year-old Spaniard not only enjoys the statistical advantage but also a superior skill set.
Upsetting Roger Federer, Nadal finished 2010, ranked first in the world with seven title wins. With the exception of Australian Open, Nadal won the crown at the remaining Grand Slams of the year, winning at the Roland Garros, at
Wimbledon and at the United States Open. Nadal also lifted the title at three Masters events; Monte Carlo, Rome and Madrid. Nadal’s last title win of the year came in October when he won the ATP 500 event at Tokyo. Having qualified for the elite eight-man
field at the season finale in London, Rafa made it all the way to the final before losing to world number two Roger Federer.
Gulbis, on the other hand, finished last year with only one title win, winning it at Delray Beach. However, there were no other final appearances for Gulbis.
Playing for the second time at the event, Gulbis has failed to make it past the third round to date. Having defeated Albert Montanes and Andreas Seppi in 2010, Gulbis was eventually ousted by Federer in the quarterfinals.
Rafa, on the other hand, is putting in his third straight year at the event. After his title run was ended by Gael Monfils in the quarterfinals in 2009, Rafa made a final run at the event in 2010. Moving past Simone Bolelli, Potito
Starace, Steve Darcis and Viktor Troicki, Nadal was able to secure a spot for himself in the final. However, he failed to win the title owing to his defeat against Nikolay Davydenko.
Although he unofficially started 2011 in 2010, successfully defending his championship at the exhibition event in Abu Dhabi, Nadal officially kicked off 2011 on Monday when he played his opening match against Karol Beck at Doha.
Having defeated Beck by 6-3, 6-0 Nadal moved on to play Beck’s compatriot Lukas Lacko in the second round. Winning the first set on tiebreaker, Nadal suffered a bagel loss in the second set before bouncing back in the third to win it 6-3.
Gulbis moves into the quarterfinals having enjoyed straight set victories against Victor Hanescu and qualifier Antonio Veic.
Given Rafa’s recent form and the desire to retain the top ranking in 2011, it would be extremely difficult for Gulbis to win one over the Spaniard unless he catches the world number 1 on an off day.
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