In somewhat of a mild upset, Ernests Gulbis came back from being down 1-4 in the third set to Tomas Berdych before pulling out the win in the tiebreak 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(3) at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships in Memphis.
Gulbis, who called for a trainer to help him deal with an ongoing patella tendonitis issue, (which Rafael Nadal also has and is difficult to get rid of) seemed to relax and went for his shots which he said was the difference in the match.
“At 4-1, I was pretty sure I was going to lose so I went for my shots, said Gulbis. I played more relaxed. I broke him once, and now he’s under pressure, not me anymore.”
Gulbis, despite being considered a potential top ten player, has not lived up to his potential and received more attention from his recent late night activities than his tennis. With his win, Gulbis reaches only his second ATP tour semifinal since his last showing in St. Petersburg back in 2006. Despite that Gulbis still has something of a cult-like status among his fans despite his underachiever status.
As for Berdych, it’s another tough loss for the talented Czech player who cannot seem to get his game going in the right gear. Once ranked No. 9, Berdych hovers now in the top 30. Many thought, like Gulbis, that Berdych would be a real threat on tour. Not saying that it’s too late for Berdych, but it’s not looking good.
Gulbis will now take on the winner of the Andy Roddick/Sam Querrey quarterfinal later tonight.
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