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5/13/10 5:15 AM | Ricky Dimon
Ernests Gulbis and Feliciano Lopez will are set for a Thursday evening clash in Madrid. The winner will advance to the quarterfinals for a date with either Roger Federer or Stanislas Wawrinka.
Having never faced each other on the ATP Tour prior to last fall, Ernests Gulbis and Feliciano Lopez are becoming familiar foes as they head into a third-round meeting at the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open on Thursday.
Their first encounter came late in 2009 on the indoor hard courts of Stockholm, where Lopez cruised to a 6-2, 6-4 victory. Two weeks ago in the Rome quarterfinals, however, Gulbis got revenge with a 7-6(6), 6-1 decision.
Those results should not come as a surprise, since Gulbis should normally have an edge over Lopez on clay. The 21-year-old Latvian reached the French Open quarters in 2008 and he is now playing the most consistent tennis of his career. In addition to a semifinal run in Memphis and a title in Delray Beach, Gulbis is coming off a quarterfinal showing in Barcelona and a semifinal appearance in Rome, where he upset Roger Federer in the second round.
So far in Madrid, Gulbis has defeated both Estoril champion Albert Montanes and Munich winner Mikhail Youzhny in straight sets.
In Lopez, Gulbis is running into yet another in-form player. On the heels of his quarterfinal performance in Rome, the 32nd-ranked Spaniard is a solid 15-9 for his 2010 campaign. He has been cruising in Madrid, taking out Lukasz Kubot 6-3, 6-3 and Oscar Hernandez 6-1, 6-2. Lopez had been scheduled to play No. 5 seed Andy Roddick, but Hernandez got into the draw when the American pulled out due to sickness.
Now it is Lopez who could be dealing with physical problems of his own. After easing past Hernandez on Wednesday, he pulled out of a doubles match citing lower back pain.
Gulbis is the favorite in this one even with Lopez at 100 percent. So even if the doubles withdrawal was just a precautionary move, Gulbis in straight sets is the obvious choice.
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GO GULBI, GO! You'r the best!
Latvian , 5/13/10 4:35 PM