• This was the first match between the tennis players. The 33-year-old Gulbis defeated the American athlete Evan King (ATP 759) 6:2, 6:2 in the first round of qualification on Sunday.
• The first set against the number one qualifier Kovalīkas Erenest did not succeed – the Latvian lost two games of his serve, winning only the fourth game of the set. It should be noted that the 29-year-old Kovalik managed to make the first serve efficiently (86%) in the first set.
• Also in the opening of the second set, Gulbis was in the lead with a deficit of one break (0:2), however in the continuation, the Latvian showed character by winning five games in a row (5:2). The swan succeeded twice to break Slovak tennis player’s serve, as well as making Kovalik openly lose his patience in several episodes. In one of those, after losing a game, the Slovakian athlete hit his racket against the court fence, earning a warning.
• Gulbis convincingly served the set (6:3), achieving the opportunity to determine the winner in the third set.
• In the decisive set, Gulbi had poor results (44%) in first serves, as well as in games after his own serves. which once again allowed Kovalik to get two breaks and bring the fight to a successful conclusion relatively comfortably. The Slovak made five out of six break points during the match.
Game statistics
| Statistics | Ernests Gulbis | Jozef Kovalik |
|---|---|---|
| Elusive serves | 6 | 1 |
| Double mistakes | 4 | 2 |
| 1. serve | 55% | 61% |
| Points after 1st serve | 21/35 (60%) | 34/44 (77%) |
| Points after 2nd serve | 15/29 (52%) | 14/28 (50%) |
| Break balls | 2/8 | 5/6 |
| Points in total | 60 | 76 |
Used sources:
https://www.atptour.com/en/scores/s…
