Match report

Ernests Gulbis © Tennistalk.com
French Open
4th round
6/1/08 1 2 3 Tot
lv  Ernests Gulbis 6 7 7 6 3
fr  Michael Llodra 4 6 4 3 0
Michael Llodra © Tennistalk.com

  • First slam quarters for Gulbis

    6/2/08 3:05 AM | David Cox
    Tennis fans have been waiting for Ernests Gulbis to string it all together once again since last year’s US Open. This week he’s managed it.

    Seemingly saving his best for the slams, Gulbis has gone one better than his Flushing Meadows performance, making the quarters for the first time with a 6-4, 7-6, 6-3 win over Michael Llodra.

    Llodra’s game is unorthodox for clay; he’s one of the few players you’ll see regularly net-rushing on even the slowest of crushed brick courts. The clay in Paris is slightly faster and higher bouncing than most other venues and as a result Llodra has enjoyed most of his success here. However, his usual strategy of cranking up the pressure through regular chip-charges never really got going here, mainly due to Gulbis’ incredible serving. He slammed 11 aces in total.

    Llodra found himself in similar trouble when attempting to serve and volley; on the crunch points Gulbis was able to conjure up passes at will. He broke three times but had enough chances (10 break points in all) to run away with it. The stats really reflect the dominance of Gulbis’ hitting: Llodra only made five more unforced errors (41), but Gulbis hit nearly twice as many winners (39 compared to 21 from Llodra).

    “One year ago, I was playing pretty stupid on clay," Gulbis said. "I was going for the shots when I didn't need to go for the shots. I was playing hard court tennis on clay. But on clay it's different. This year I realized it and I change my game a little bit. I'm not trying to go for winners every time, only when it's possible, so it's paying off."

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