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Gulbis moves into second round

Dubai - Ernests Gulbis booked a second-round tussle against either Sergiy Stakhovsky, of the Ukraine, or UAE wildcard Omar Awadhy after defeating Michael Berrer on Monday afternoon.

The Latvian eighth seed held his five service games, and broke one of the German wildcard’s four, to take the first set 6-3.

That score that was repeated in the second as well, with another early break and Gulbis’ solid serving once again proving pivotal to the eventual outcome.

Also through to the second round is Germany’s Philipp Petzschner, who defeated Andreas Seppi of Italy 3-6 7-6 6-2.

“I’m happy,” said Gulbis, who may prospectively face world number two Roger Federer in the quarter-finals if he were to account for either Awadhy or Stakhovsky in the next phase.

“It was tough in the beginning and I was lucky to win the first break because he missed a lot of shots.

“But, I was really pleased with the way I played by the end of the second set.”

“It’s my first win in a long time as I skipped Rotterdam because I was sick and I didn’t feel so well in Marseille.

“I came here a bit early — on Thursday — and practised good and hard, so I reached some kind of conditioning level that enabled me to play some good tennis.” Gulbis had missed those two tournaments in the Netherlands and France with a virus, but a few days’ of intensive training have clearly seen his health — and game — return quickly at the Aviation Club.

His first serve, in particular, was an impressive weapon as Berrer struggled to make any inroads when returning at returning, ultimately ending up without a break in 10 separate attempts.

“Before the match and in practice, my serve wasn’t going really well,” the world number 24 admitted.

“The more I play and the more I just stay on the court with more hours though, the better everything will get. Now, it’s better than three days ago by 200 per cent.”

Gulbis opted to spend his preparations for the clay and grass court seasons in and around Europe this spring, with the proximity to his home country and continent a major factor as to why he chose to skip events across the Atlantic.

“First of all, I’m from Europe and I enjoy being in Europe a lot more than I do in America,” he added. “In Europe, I can go between tournaments to home. For example, after this tournament, I’m going to spend at least two days at home.

“If I had played Delray Beach, I would have to be away for a longer stretch and spend maybe two months in the USA.

“It’s not that much, but it still affects you in the end. By the last week of Miami, if you’re there, you’re sick of travelling. That’s the most important thing.

“Plus, Dubai is a 500 tournament, whereas Delray Beach is 250, so my ranking allows me to play here.

“I’m seeded here by chance and a little bit lucky to have got that, but those are the two main points.”

alex@khaleejtimes.com