the importance of being ernests

Hello Riga, this is Stockholm calling

Zahirah — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 02:15:27 +0000

Multiple withdrawals from the If Stockholm Open field have catapulted Ernests into the main draw of the ATP 250 event.

The last-minute pullouts of Ivo Karlovic, Jurgen Melzer and several others allowed Ernests to move up the entry list as an alternate, enabling him to directly enter the main draw without having to play in the qualifying.

His first opponent will be the eighth-seeded Feliciano Lopez of Spain.

Lopez, a lefty whose playing style favours fast indoor hard courts like those in Stockholm, will arrive in Sweden fresh off a brilliant run into the semi-finals of this week’s Shanghai Masters.

However, he had to retire injured in that match after twisting his ankle in the first set, and it is unknown whether he will be fit in time for the Stockholm opener.

Should Ernests make it into the second round, he will frace either Olivier Rochus of Belgium or Swedish wildcard, Andreas Vinciguerra.

Ernests has never played against Vinciguerra before, while Rochus has a one-match advantage after triumphing against him in the Orleans Challenger in 2006, when Ernests was barely a young pup waiting to burst onto the tennis scene.

Seeded to face him in the quarterfinals is Germany’s Tommy Haas, who was also on the Shanghai casualty list after a shoulder injury forced him to retire against compatriot Rainer Schuettler.

Should Haas not feel up to the task, any of the three other men in his section, which includes Jarkko Nieminen, Florent Serra, and Bulgarian prodigy Grigor Dimitrov, will be more than ready to topple him to reach the quarterfinals.

In the upper half of the draw, the top-seeded home hero, Robin Soderling, is expected to make the final.

However, he may be feeling the after-effects of playing a full Asian schedule, and Juan Carlos Ferrero, as well as aggressive big servers like Benjamin Becker and a recovering Marcos Baghdatis may stand a chance if they were to pull together a consistent performance.

ATP Stockholm main draw

Two steps forward, one step back in Asia

Zahirah — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 06:08:14 +0000

Ernests displayed some of his best tennis of the season during the current Asian swing of hard court tournaments, after he reached his first quarterfinal in over a year in Tokyo and stretched the top-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to three tiebreak sets in Bangkok, despite a minor blip in his baffling loss to Fabio Fognini in Shanghai.

He battled his way past Junn Mitsuhashi and Dominik Meffert in the Tokyo qualifying, only to find himself facing Davis Cup finalist, Radek Stepanek, in the first round.

Ernests, however, exceeded expectations with a display of fearsome hitting. He served 13 aces and saved all five break points against him to overpower the sixth-seeded Czech.

In the next round, he had his Argentine opponent, Juan Monaco, well under control before the latter retired when down 3:6 1:4 due to a right hip injury.

The retirement propelled Ernests into his first quarterfinal since the 2008 Cincinnati Masters, where he once again was drawn to play against Tsonga.

Alas, it was not his day to break his losing record against the Frenchman, as he once again capitulated after capturing the first set.

His quarterfinal defeat was also unfortunate on another level, as he would arrive too late in Shanghai to play in the qualifying but was ineligible for the Masters event’s special exemption slot, which is reserved for a player who reached the semi-finals or better of Tokyo or Beijing.

It was yet another stroke of luck which ruled in his favour after the Shanghai organisers then decided to award him with a wildcard into the main draw.

Having been paired up in the first round against unheralded Italian qualifier, Fabio Fognini, whom he had beaten in a Davis Cup tie last year, Ernests was expected to progress to the second round against Novak Djokovic with no drama.

However, Ernests has never been known to conform to expectations, and suffered a straight sets loss to the Italian in an inglorious end to his Asian campaign.

Nevertheless, Ernests appeared to be on track to getting his game into order, and credited his new coach, Hernan Gumy, for his new-found focus.

He will now return to Europe for the final month of the season.

He is an alternate in both Moscow and Stockholm, which will be played next week, where it is likely that he will have to compete in the qualifying unless last-minute withdrawals ensure him a spot in the main draw.

He is the second alternate in St Petersburg, scheduled for the following week, where he has played since his ATP debut in 2006.

The final fortnight of the year will feature tournaments in Basel and Valencia, as well as the Paris Indoors Masters in Bercy. Ernests did not make the main draw for any of these events as at the sign-in deadline, but he may still compete in the qualifying rounds.

Hope floats in Bangkok

Zahirah — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:46:26 +0000

So close, yet so far.

That is the most apt sentiment to describe Ernests’ chillingly close loss to the Thailand Open top seed, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, in the second round of the Bangkok tournament today.

The fast indoor hard court worked like a charm to Ernests’ advantage as he gunned down 23 aces and saved all break points against him.

He took the first set in a tiebreak but lost the next in the same manner.

Both men held serve convincingly in the decider, with no ground at all offered to the receiving player.

Fittingly enough, that set too was determined with a tiebreak.

Ernests sped into the lead after mini-breaking Tsonga in the first point of the tiebreak.

However, he lost the advantage when a backhand sailed long two points later.

Nonetheless, he did not look visibly flustered – at least, not until his forehand winner when serving at 2*-3 was wrongly called out to give a minibreak to Tsonga.

Still rattled, he was quickly mini-broken again to hand Tsonga a 5-2 lead, and the defending champion wasted no time in serving out the match to progress to the quarterfinals.

Despite the loss, Ernests’ fans have much to look forward to, as his game appeared to be on the upturn. He served well and no longer deployed the dropshot as recklessly as he once had, although his concentration during rallies still needs to be improved.

With two more weeks to go before the culmination of the Asian hard court swing, it is premature to speculate as to whether Ernests’ new cooperation with Hernan Gumy will lead to his long-awaited breakthrough.

However, if his performance against Tsonga is an indication of the future, then good tidings may well be close on the horizon.

ATP BANGKOK: (1) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) def. Ernests Gulbis (LAT) 6:7(3) 7:6(4) 7:6(2)

Indian sensation poses Bangkok challenge

Zahirah — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 22:45:51 +0000

The withdrawal of Julien Benneteau from next week’s Thailand Open has catapulted Ernests into the main draw of the ATP 250 event, where he originally planned to play qualifying.

He has been handed a tricky opening match against talented Indian wildcard, Somdev Devvarman.

A former collegiate standout before turning pro, Devvarman is currently ranked No. 131 but has recorded wins over big names like Marin Cilic, Carlos Moya and Ivo Karlovic this year.

His counterpunching style makes him a poor match-up for Ernests, who often prefers to go for outright winners rather than patient point construction.

However, Devvarman’s serve may be the thorn in his side that Ernests could try to exploit.

The 24 year-old also has never made it past the second round of a major, giving Ernests the advantage in terms of big match experience.

The winner of this encounter will not have it easy as their next opponent is the top seed and defending champion, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

The seventh-ranked Tsonga has benefited from Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal from this tournament earlier this week, and is looking to add to his existing tally of two ATP titles this year.

ATP Bangkok main draw

Five for fighting: Ernests stages another DC comeback

Zahirah — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 23:05:52 +0000

Ernests had to dig deep to salvage his match against Luka Gregorc in Friday’s Davis Cup proceedings against Slovenia.

Latvia ran into choppy waters after Andis Juška lost in straight sets to Grega Zemlja in the opening rubber.

The home crowd’s hopes of an easy win by Ernests over the 279th-ranked Gregorc took a tumble after the Latvian No. 1 quickly fell behind by two sets, despite having numerous break point opportunities.

Prospects were grim for Latvia when Ernests, bouyed by the tireless support from the crowd, finally managed to lift his game to level with two sets apiece before sealing the rubber for Latvia with an 8-6 victory in a marathon fifth set.

He thanked the crowd for their encouragement, deeming it instrumental to his win. “They did not just sit and watch the match quietly but provided us real support – something we expect from spectators at Davis Cup.”

Ernests also said that he is pleased with how his new cooperation with Hernan Gumy is working out, citing that their immediate goal is to remain within the Top 100 to prevent him from having to play in next year’s Australian Open qualifying.

“We will travel to the Asian tournaments next week,” said Ernests. “Then next year we will be able to learn from our mistakes and set new goals.”

With the tie now split evenly between Latvia and Slovenia, tomorrow’s doubles tie will be crucial to determining the final outcome. Ernests and Deniss Pavlovs will need to capture the doubles rubber to prevent the hosts from trailing 1:2 heading into Sunday’s reverse singles matches.

DAVIS CUP: Latvia vs Slovenia – Photos from Day 1

Gumy to guide Gulbis

Zahirah — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 02:33:04 +0000

Ernests has announced in a press conference in Latvia that he is currently training with former Argentine pro, Hernan Gumy.

The 37 year-old reached a career-high ranking of No. 39 in 1996, and has coached illustrious names such as Guillermo Canas, Guillermo Coria and Marat Safin.

Gumy is currently accompanying Ernests in Jūrmala as the Latvian Davis Cup team prepares for this weekend’s clash against Slovenia.

At stake is a spot in Group I of the Europe/Africa Zone, which Latvia reached for the first time in its history in 2008, before being relegated back to the second division this year.

Latvia will rely on its three stalwarts this time around, as Andis Juška opens proceedings against Grega Zemlja at 2pm local time, before Ernests takes on Luka Gregorc in the second rubber.

Ernests will return to the court on Saturday with Deniss Pavlovs, as they attempt to secure the doubles rubber against Slovenia.

The match-ups from Friday will be reversed for the final rubbers, but if Latvia had managed to seal the tie by winning the first three matches, then Sunday’s singles rubbers will not affect the outcome of the tie and it is likely Deniss Pavlovs and Arturs Kazijevs will be fielded.

DAVIS CUP: LATVIA vs SLOVENIA tie details

More hard times in New York Town

Zahirah — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 04:33:47 +0000

Ernests returned under the dazzling lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium today only to suffer another heartbreaking defeat to the US Open second seed, Andy Murray.

He stood toe-to-toe with Murray for most of the match, but unfortunately was second best on many of the important points.

He was broken in the first set to trail 2:4, but broke Murray back immediately with a sensational forehand, much to the delight of the crowd.

At 5-all, Ernests scored his second break point with a phenomenal lobbed winner, but was unable to capitalise on the opportunity as Murray managed to hold serve for 6:5.

Perhaps still disappointed by the missed break point, Ernests temporarily lost his concentration to allow Murray three break/set points.

He recovered to save all three of them but slipped up once again to offer Murray another set point, which the Scot successfully converted to capture the first set, 7:5.

Ernests started the second set in poor fashion after a failed dropshot attempt stranded him with three break points against him. He saved the first with a volley winner but was unable to save the second, thus handing Murray a 2:0 lead.

A netted volley by Murray off an Ernests passing shot offered three break back points, but strong serving by the second seed saved the day for him as he held serve to lead 4:1.

However, perseverance paid off for Ernests as he earned another set of triple break points two games later, which he converted to return on serve at 3:4.

Alas, he was unable to sustain the momentum and was broken back immediately for 3:5, allowing Murray to serve out the second set in the next game.

With Murray just one set away from the match, tensions ran high in the third set as both players seemed to realise what was at stake.

The set went on serve until 5:5, where Ernests found himself having to fight off break points despite having a 40-15 lead initially.

He managed to scramble back to game point but a poorly judged forehand error sent the score back to deuce.

Murray, as if sensing the opportunity in the air, upped his class to out-manoeuvre Ernests like a wily cat to score the lone, vital break of this set.

With the 6:5 lead on his racquet, Murray needed no second chances as he successfully served out the match to catapult himself into the second round.

As for Ernests, this loss will see him drop 70 ranking points, a deficit he could ill afford given his currently tenuous hold on the Top 100.

He has been announced to play in Latvia’s Davis Cup tie against Slovenia on 18-20 September, but to date has not signed up for any other tournament, both ATP or Challenger-level.

US OPEN R1: (2) Andy Murray (GBR) def. Ernests Gulbis (LAT) 7:5 6:3 7:5

Happy 21st birthday, Ernests!

Zahirah — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 04:50:08 +0000

Ernests can afford some time to celebrate his 21st birthday today after his US Open match against Andy Murray has been scheduled for Tuesday or Wednesday.

He will be hoping for better tidings this time around, after last year’s birthday was marked by a heartbreaking four-set loss to fellow birthday boy, Andy Roddick.

Ernests has spent the last few days training under the tutelage of Mr Olivier Morel, a former French pro who is attached to the Manhattan Plaza Racquet Club in New York.

To date, it is still unknown whether Morel has been hired as a long-term coach or if this is a temporary arrangement while the Tour has its stopover in Flushing Meadows for the US Open.

Olivier Morel’s biodata

New York serves up Scottish curveball

Zahirah — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:26:51 +0000

The draw gods were in a foul frame of mind during the US Open draw ceremony today, for they had pitted Ernests against Great Britain’s Andy Murray in the first round.

The newly minted world No. 2 captured the Montreal Masters shield earlier this month before making the semi-finals of Cincinnati in the subsequent week.

Murray’s escapades smashed the longstanding Federer-Nadal duopoly over the Tour’s top two spots and his grim countenance is a spectre nobody would want to face across the net, particularly in Flushing Meadows, where he also had won the 2004 Junior title.

Ernests has yet to win a match against Murray all three times they played against each other, and his recent losing streak against all manners of players offers scant comfort.

However, Ernests could become a devastating opponent himself when all aspects of his game are on, as evidenced by witnesses to his demolition of the then-World No. 8, Tommy Robredo, at the US Open in 2007.

With 70 points to defend from making the second round last year, Ernests will need to reach at least the third round here to avoid shaving off even more of his already fragile hold onto the Top 100.

Therefore, he will be hoping that the magic would return by the time he steps on court to face Murray, or he could be forced back to the Challenger tour, for a ranking outside the Top 100 typically cannot guarantee him a slot even in the qualifying draw of an ATP event.

US Open main draw

Ernests to shake off Cincy’s No. 13 jinx

Zahirah — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 05:38:20 +0000

Ernests’ unlucky No. 13 seeding might be an omen of things to come after he was handed a tricky draw in the Cincinnati Masters qualifying.

He will open against American Rajeev Ram in the first round, before potentially meeting the qualifying top seed, Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia.

Ram is a former college player and accomplished doubles specialist before finally making his mark on the professional singles circuit by winning the ATP Newport event last month.

Saturday’s qualifying match will be the first encounter between these men.

The winner will go on to face either Ljubicic, who was ranked as high as No. 3 in the world back in 2006, or Jesse Levine of the United States.

Ljubicic, who was also Ernests’ sometime doubles partner in 2007, deploys a massive serve and is vastly experienced. The crown jewels of his achievements include the 2005 Davis Cup and the Athens Olympics doubles bronze medal which he won with Mario Ancic in 2004.

His opponent, Levine, is a talented left-hander who also started his career as a college player. His career-high ranking may merely be No. 94, but the 21 year-old Levine has youth on his side and was even handpicked to be the hitting partner for Roger Federer in 2007.