Ernests, Please!

Well, it's the first day of Miami, and there's one result I'm pretty sure you all know I'm going to talk about: why, oh why, Ernests Gulbis, did you go down like such a kitten to Marcos Baghdatis?

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Don't get me wrong, I am glad to see Marcos back - where has he been? What injury is it this time? If he hadn't been playing Gulbis, I probably would have been behind him all the way and this post would be all about how great it is to see him back in the game. But... for the love of God, Ernests! I know he's good and fresh and whatever, but at your level of talent, you should not be going down to anyone 6-2 6-2!

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Sigh. I know that first title is going to come for Gulbis. But I think everyone knows it, and everyone's talking. Could the pressure of being the next big thing be getting to the boy? I remember in the Aussie Open program they wrote that Djokovic, Murray, Tsonga and Gulbis had slotted menacingly into play behind Nadal and Federer. It is a lot of pressure for someone who is as yet unproved.

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But I think I can be pretty sure that Ernests doesn't this blog, so I can exhort him fruitlessly to my heart's content. Get your head in the game, Gulbis. You're such an exciting player and I want to see you go all the way sometime soon. Because you can do it - ask Niki Pilic.

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Today's Results

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Sony Ericsson Open (Miami)

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Men's Draw

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Marcos Baghdatis def. Ernests Gulbis, 6-2 6-2

Kevin Kim def. Michael Llodra, 3-6 retired

Julien Benneteau def. Florent Serra, 3-6 6-3 6-4

Jan Hernych def. Brendan Evans, 6-4 6-3

Diego Junqueira def. Yuki Bhambri, 6-4 6-3

Oscar Hernandez def. Ivan Ljubicic, 6-4 6-4

Robert Kendrick def. Arnaud Clement, 6-3 7-6 (7-5)

Frank Dancevic def. Philipp Kohlschreiber, 6-4 7-6 (7-2)

Jarkko Nieminen def. Ivan Navarro, 6-3 6-3

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Women's Draw

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Samantha Stosur def. Sofia Arvidsson, 6-1 2-0 retired

Lucie Safarova def. Anne Keothavong, 6-4 7-5

Francesca Schiavone def. Tsvetana Pironkova, 6-3 5-7 6-3

Maria Kirilenko def. Kateryna Bondarenko, 6-4 0-6 6-4

Magdalena Rybarikova def. Arantxa Rus, 3-6 6-3 7-5

Galina Voskoboeva def. Vera Dushevina, 6-4 6-4

Nuria Llagostera Vives def. Coco Vandeweghe, 6-0 6-3

Mariya Koryttseva def. Sorana Cirstea, 6-2 6-1

Anastasia Pivovarova def. Bethanie Mattek-Sands, 7-6 (7-1) 6-3