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  • Sweet Escape: Nalbandian Gets By Gulbis

    3/17/08 4:20 PM | Ricky Dimon
    - David Nalbandian comes back from the brink of elimination to survive Ernests Gulbis in a third-set tiebreaker on Sunday at the Pacific Life Open. The win sets up a showdown with in-form Radek Stepanek.

    A matchup of two extremely talented players came down to nothing more than experience in the second round of the Masters Series Indian Wells yesterday afternoon. A final-set tiebreaker had to decide the tilt between David Nalbandian and Ernests Gulbis, and in the end it was simply the match toughness that propelled the seventh-seeded Argentine to victory. Nalbandian prevailed with a 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(4) triumph in two hours and 38 minutes.

    For a moment late in the third set it looked like an upset would happen well before a decisive tiebreaker became necessary. Gulbis squandered six break chances in the final set, but he capitalized on one opportunity and that was all he needed to take a 5-3 lead, allowing him to serve for the match. With the whole thing on his racket, however, the inexperience of the 19-year-old Latvian showed. After one double-fault and two forehand shanks, Gulbis was broken at love. Both players proceeded to hold serve the rest of the way until the tiebreaker--which Nalbandian took seven points to fourt--settled the score.

    Both players started out serving terribly, in part due to the gusty conditions that continued to wreak havoc at the Pacific Life Open. Gulbis made just 53 percent of his first serves in the opening set and was broken three times. Nalbandian put in only 49 percent of his first deliveries and donated two breaks of serve to his opponent. As they got used to the wind, however, both players heated up. Gulbis secured one break in the second that and that was all he needed to level the match thanks to much-improved serving.

    Had it not been for the mental collapse at 5-3 in the third set, Gulbis' overpowering serve would have been more than enough to propel him to the upset. He fired 11 aces in the final set alone, giving him 19 for the match. Nalbandian did not bring as much firepower to the table on Sunday, but he maintained composure and was too solid for Gulbis at the key moments. That allowed him to escape from a battle in which he appeared to be down and out.

    Nalbandian advances to the third round, where he will take on 29th-seeded Radek Stepanek, a 6-4, 6-2 winner over qualifier Max Mirnyi. It will be the third head-to-head meeting between the contestants and the series is tied at 1-1.

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