Ernests Gulbis upsets Alexandr Dolgopolov in the 2011 Monte Carlo Masters first round
Ernests Gulbis of Latvia surprised fans at the first round of the 2011 Monte Carlo Masters today, defeating Alexander Dolgopolov of Ukraine in straight sets 6-1, 6-4 to proceed to the second round of the prestigious tournament. The young tennis pro took just one hour and nine minutes to send his Ukrainian opponent home in defeat.
Gulbis was quite obviously the superior player in the first round match, despite being ranked lower than his opponent. Generally known as an expert on slower courts, he entered the match with his guns blazing to take the first set 6-1. The Latvian scored seven aces in this part of the match alone, winning an impressive 77 per cent of his points on the first serve and going on to break Dolgopolov twice to take the lead. He concluded the bagel victory in the opening set by taking 67 per cent of the total points in the match.
The second set was somewhat more competitive, as Dolgopolov struggled to cover lost ground. He was largely unsuccessful, as Gulbis produced two more aces and broke him twice to demolish his dreams of a good showing at this year’s ATP World Tour Masters 1000 at Monte Carlo. Gulbis took this set 6-4, with 56 per cent of the points. All in all, the player fired nine aces, committed three double faults, broke Dolgopolov four times and won a whopping 61 per cent of the points in the match to set up a scoreline of 6-1, 6-4 in his first match against the Ukrainian.
World Number 31 Ernests Gulbis has won a single ATP career title so far, and his star has been on the rise since a promising clay season in 2010. Although Dolgopolov is a certified hard court expert, he could not take advantage of this qualification and quickly fell apart as Gulbis displayed superior prowess at the game. The 22-year-old Latvian pro will now face up-and-coming Canadian star Milos Raonic, who defeated Michael Llodra of France in his first round match.
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