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10/22/08 7:12 PM | Ricky Dimon
Andy Murray and Ernests Gulbis dominated their respective first-round matches. Now they will square off on Thursday for a spot in the St. Petersburg Open quarterfinals.
It will be the second career head-to-head meeting between Andy Murray and Ernests Gulbis when the two rising stars do battle in the St. Petersburg second round on Thursday. The first Murray-Gulbis installment came just four months ago at the Wimbledon tune-up event in Queens, where Murray came from behind to win 5-7, 6-1, 6-4.
Murray should have another tough test on his hands because Gulbis' talent is undeniable. Fast indoor hard courts also suit his huge serve and massive forehand. The problem for the 20-year-old Latvian, however, is that he sometimes just fails to show up. He can look like a world-beater at times, such as when he reached the French Open quarterfinals, when he was crushing Andy Roddick at the U.S. Open before melting down, and when he destroyed Guillermo Garcia-Lopez on Tuesday in 48 minutes. Will that Gulbis show up against Murray, or will it be the one who lost to Teimuraz Gabashvili in Bucharest and blew a match in Toronto against Jose Acasuso in which he served for the match at 5-1 and 5-3 in the third set?
If Gulbis is not at his absolute best, this one could be over in hurry. After all, nobody is hotter than Murray right now. In addition to winning the Madrid title last week (and upsetting Roger Federer in the semifinals) and finishing runner-up in Flushing Meadows, where he stunned Rafael Nadal in the semis, the 21-year-old Scot won the Masters Series Cincinnati earlier in the summer. This year he also won two titles leading up to the Australian Open, reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, and made it to the semifinals of the Masters Series Canada. On Wednesday he easily dispatched Viktor Troicki 6-3, 6-3.
Breaks of serve should be few and far between in this contest; Gulbis has a bigger serve but Murray has been serving incredibly well of late. While Murray's return of serve is vastly superior, the main difference between the two is court smarts. Murray constructs points flawlessly, while Gulbis too often resorts to bashing forehands at inopportune times to end points quickly. He needs to stay patient, but that is hard to do against Murray, who almost defines patience. Gulbis should be able to keep this close if his serve is on, but Murray in straight sets is the pick.
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Andy Murray
Ernests Gulbis
St. Petersburg Open
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