Ernests Gulbis battles past Fabio Fognini into the second round of Open de Nice Côte d’Azur
Latvian number one Ernests Gulbis, ranked 85th in the world, fought back from a deficit of one set to oust world number 48 Fabio Fognini of Italy in three sets 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the first round of Open de Nice Côte d’Azur
at the Nice Lawn Tennis Club in Nice on Tuesday. It took Gulbis an hour and 57 minutes to beat his opponent in a tough contest.
Gulbis broke Fognini in the opening game of the first set to take a 1-0 lead. However, the Latvian failed to consolidate on it as he was broken in the very next game, levelling the score at 1-1. Fognini succeeded in breaking Gulbis
again in the eighth game and served out the set at 5-3.
The Italian fired two aces and 69 percent of the first deliveries in the opening set. The 23-year-old grabbed 78 percent of the first service points in the first set. Fognini made full use of Gulbis’ poor serve as the Latvian managed
a first serve percentage of just 44 percent, claiming 75 percent of the points on the first serve. The Italian failed to save the only break point he faced but compensated that by converting two of the four break points he received in the opening set.
Gulbis needed a single break of serve in the second set to win it 6-3. The right-handed made drastic improvements in his serve, firing three aces and 62 percent of the first serves in the second set. The Latvian captured a whopping
86 percent of the first service points in the second set. The Gulbis capitalized on one of the two break point opportunities he created on Fognini’s serve and saved all the three break points on his own serve in the second set.
The Latvian did not look back after claiming the second set and broke Fognini twice in the deciding set to win it 6-3.
The six feet three inches tall’s first serve percentage dropped again as he delivered a meagre 44 percent of the first serves, winning 75 percent of the points on them in the third set. In comparison, Fognini fired three aces and
58 percent of the first serves, converting 78 percent of them into points in the final set. However, the Italian suffered due to his poor returning as he managed to bag just three of the 12 first return points in the deciding set. Gulbis won two of the six
break point chances he received in the third set. The Latvian managed to save all the four break points he faced in the final set.
Gulbis will play world number 58 Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan in the second round. The top Uzbek beat Belgian Olivier Rochus, ranked 73rd in the world, in straight sets 6-2, 7-6(5) in the first round.
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