Tennis: Gulbis halts Haas at Delray Beach

DELRAY BEACH: Latvian Ernests Gulbis beat Tommy Haas 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7/2) on Saturday to book a berth in the final of the Delray Beach International Championships against Edouard Roger-Vasselin.

In a match-up of past Delray Beach champions, German second-seed Haas squandered three break points in the 11th game of the third set. Gulbis won the last five points to hold for a 6-5 lead, then won six of the last seven points in the tie-breaker.

Meanwhile, France’s Roger-Vasselin upset US top seed John Isner 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in the other semi-final. Roger-Vasselin became the first Frenchman to reach the final of the event but he had to work for it by overcoming 21 aces by Isner in the match lasting more than two hours.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 4^th, 2013.