French Open: Ernests Gulbis trumps Roger Federer to reach the quarterfinals

Ernests Gulbis

Under mildly chill weather, Roger Federer and Ernests Gulbis indulged an eager crowd on Phillippe Chatrier to some quality tennis as they drove head long into each other for their fourth career meeting. But it was only their first full length match and Gulbis had promised us on Friday that he was prepared to take the battle to his legendary opponent. The Latvian was true to his word, as he engaged Federer in an absorbing duel that lasted three hours and 42 mins before prevailing 6-7(5), 7-6(3), 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since his appearance here at the 2008 edition.

Federer will leave France, perhaps beginning to realize that time has taken its toll on his once supreme skills. The Swiss, despite continued brilliance at times, is struggling to find consistency off the ground on either flank. He was troubled by Tursunov in the third round, losing a set to the Russian, and was only able to play an up and down match against Gulbis before surrendering in the fifth set.

The Latvian swung his arms freely, taking huge cuts at the ball and striking ferociously hard, especially on the forehand to pin Federer to the back of the court. It was no surprise then to see Gulbis nudge the sixth game to deuce before taking advantage of Federer’s erratic ground strokes to nail the first break of the match.

Stirred to action by the run of play, Federer gathered his wits to mount rearguard action in the very next game. The Swiss attacked by stepping inside the court and Gulbis in his eagerness to finish the point sent a forehand wide to return the break immediately.

The set remained on serve from there, even if in the most engaging manner. Eventually it fell upon a tie-breaker to separate to the two men. Gulbis went ahead 5-3 with a big serve to the Federer backhand, the general direction in which he was trying to hurt the Swiss.

But then the Latvian made a couple of errors to allow the Swiss to stay even at 5-5 and Federer dealt an ace to gain set point before sealing it with a forehand cross court winner on the next point. The first set lasted 51 minutes setting the tone for a lengthy duel between the two players.

The second set started with an exchange of breaks but Federer held to love in the third game to suggest he was ready to keep the set under check. Something had to give and it was Gulbis who ceded ground – striking a backhand cross court wide to offer a break point to Federer.

The Swiss only had to stay in the next point, as the Latvian courted the tramlines again to allow Federer an opportunity to serve for the second set. In an unexpected twist Federer played a rather tame ninth game.

Federer had set points on his own serve, two of them in fact. But Gulbis, who was just rooted in his place saw a Federer smash come right at him and took advantage to strike a clean down the line winner into an open court. The tide turned decisively in that moment and Gulbis broke to get the set back on serve.

Gulbis threatened to take it away from there, but Federer managed to force another breaker. With Federer serving at 3-4, Gulbis set up a backhand up the line winner by sending Federer across for a vital mini-break.

The Swiss sank a forehand in the net on the next point to gift set points to the Latvian, who had two serves to take care of the business. He did just that, when Federer again sailed long with his forehand to close the second set.

The momentum had shifted in the course of that remarkably lose ninth game and deeper trouble lay ahead for the Swiss champion. Federer remained inconsistent off the ground and a couple of unseemly forehand errors were enough for Gulbis to clinch a useful break in the sixth game.

An enraged Federer sought to repair the damage, but Gulbis did well to claw back from 0-30 to take control of the set at 5-2. He did not have to serve again in the set, what with Federer struggling to stay with his young foe in one long rally after another.

Federer had a break point in the fifth game of the fourth set, but Gulbis reached a drop shot and put away a winner to get to deuce. But a double fault offered another chance and a forehand sailed long to earn him the break of serve.

It was important for the Swiss to hold firm to consolidate the break. But at 30-30 Gulbis was scenting blood again. To his credit, Federer kept firm to hold and take a 4-2 lead as the match reached a very crucial phase.

Gulbis played a rather lose service game next – courting the net repeatedly to gift a second break to Federer who needed to serve it out at 5-2. Gulbis took a medical timeout to go in and when he returned on court, he found Federer cold.

The Swiss slipped to 0-40 and though he saved the first, lost serve when he found the net on the next point. Gulbis showed no signs of discomfort as he held serve to inch closer, but at 5-4 Federer had one more opportunity to serve for it.

Roger Federer and Ernests Gulbis after their match

Federer failed to take his first set point, but as tension mounted inside Chatrier – Gulbis floated a lob too far and then Federer surged to net on the next point to lock the set in his favour. Grey for much of the contest, some bright sunshine greeted the court as the players readied for the final set.

Serving for the second game, Federer lost the first two points to some good tennis from Gulbis before dropping a forehand in the net to fall to 0-40. Federer clawed back to 30-40, but in seeking to finish the point early, did too much with his forehand which sailed wide to surrender the break.

Gulbis took a 3-0 lead as it started to look like it was slipping away from Federer. The Swiss was 22-17 in career five set matches and hadn’t lost a full match at Roland Garros in six attempts, but this one proved one mountain too many to climb for the 17 time grand slam champion.

Gulbis earned two match points in the ninth game with a thundering ace and completed the big upset when Federer sailed a backhand wide on the next point. The Latvian won nearly half of Federer’s second serve points and whipped as many as 53 winners to outlast the 2009 champion. The Swiss had 59 unforced errors to 42 winners and paid the price for an erratic performance.

Cedric Pioline sought Gulbis out for a quick chat immediately after his victory. “It’s the biggest win of my career,” Gulbis told Pioline. “Sorry I had to win. I know how everyone likes Roger. It was a tough match but this is sport. I’ve been playing very well in France. I won tournaments in Marseille and Nice, hopefully Paris is the next one.” Gulbis is now 12-0 since arriving in France and faces Tomas Berdych for a place in the last four.

The Czech needed only an hour and 41 minutes to sail past John Isner 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 pounding 36 winners to just 13 errors as he seeks to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2010.