Gulbis, who is ranked 365th in the ATP ranking, beat the sixth seed of the tournament, Italian athlete Gianluca Magera (ATP 150th), 6-7 (4:7), 6-4, 6-2.
Reaching the second round gives the Latvian 11 ATP ranking points, and he earned five more points for overcoming the qualification.
Frenchman Hugo Blanchet (ATP 349) will face Gulbi in the round of 16.
It has already been reported that in the qualification the Latvian tennis player won 6-4, 6-2 against Anton Matusevičas, who represents Great Britain (ATP 597), and with 0-6, 7-5, 6-4 – Israeli tennis player Ishai Olieil (ATP 355. )
Gulbis has won 23 out of 39 matches this season, mostly playing in “Challenger” tournaments. At the ATP level, the Latvian has not participated in the main tournaments since the summer of last year.
The Cuga “Challenger” tournament takes place on clay courts.
