Ernests Gulbis reached the third round of the Mutua Madrid Open with a straight-sets triumph over Alexandr Dolgopolov this afternoon.
Gulbis's serve was the first to be broken in the third game but he struck back straight away before again breaking his Ukrainian opponent to go 4-2 in front.
The Latvian then squandered his first two set points at 5-3 but was able to convert the third to go in front.
It looked like Dolgopolov, who yesterday knocked 13th seed Fabio Fognini out, would make the early break in the second, but he failed to convert when 0-40 up in Gulbis's first service game.
Gulbis made the breakthrough in the seventh game before holding his nerve to close out the match, saving two break-back points and then converting his first match point.
Next up for Gulbis in the last 16 is a match against either Marin Cilic or Paul-Henri Mathieu.
Pascal Lemesre
