NEW YORK (AP) Ernests Gulbis earned a reputation - one he won't deny - for enjoying the nightlife.
So how did the professional tennis player from Latvia plan to mark Tuesday's big occasions? Not only was it his 23rd birthday, but he also ended a seven-match losing streak at Grand Slam tournaments by stunning 16th-seeded Mikhail Youzhny 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 in the first round of the U.S. Open.
Well, the 53rd-ranked Gulbis said, he was going to try to go to bed early.
Enough with the celebrations,'' he said.I've had enough celebrations in my life.''
Gulbis' talent on a court and enjoyment off it often draw comparisons to the now-retired Marat Safin. But Safin won two Grand Slam titles, and Gulbis is still waiting for that sort of success.
He did announce his ability by getting to the fourth round of the 2007 U.S. Open and the quarterfinals of the 2008 French Open. But until Tuesday, he hadn't won even one match at any of the four major tournaments in more than two years, since Wimbledon in June 2009.
How is that possible?
In a Grand Slam, I'm really anxious to play, I'm really pumped up, and sometimes it's not so good,'' Gulbis said.If you make it here, that's it. You've done something in your life.''
He also acknowledges that he hasn't always dedicated himself to his sport the way he should. Presented with a week off, with no tournament to play in, a player should go to the gym or run to stay in shape, he explained.
Or you can do what I did,'' he said.Eat whatever you find. Drink whatever you find.''
Give the guy credit for being candid.
Here's one other example of Gulbis' honesty: Asked Tuesday by a reporter about an appearance in a doubles tournament in the past, Gulbis said matter-of-factly, ``I'll tell you one big secret. Singles players don't care about doubles. Doubles is for practice.''
He's now coached by former top-10 player Guillermo Canas, who served a 15-month ban in 2005-06 after failing a doping test.
``I also have a bad reputation, in a certain way, so we suit each other,'' Gulbis said.
Saying he's ready to take things a little easier, Gulbis insisted he has no regrets.
I'm very happy that I did all the mistakes I did,'' he said.Now hopefully I'm not going to do them again.''
SLOW COURTS: Roger Federer is among a handful of players talking about noticing slower playing conditions at the U.S. Open this year.
The U.S. Tennis Association acknowledges those players are right - but it wasn't done on purpose, and things should speed up as the tournament continues.
``The court surface at the 2011 U.S. Open is the same as the last several years. The courts were resurfaced in August, as usual, but due to adverse weather in the area, they have not been played on as much as in years past nor have they been power-washed as often. Both of these factors have resulted in the courts playing a little slower than usual,'' the USTA said in a statement issued Tuesday.
``We expect the court surface to speed up as the courts get more play throughout the tournament as they traditionally have,'' the statement added.
After winning his first-round match Monday night, Federer wondered aloud whether it would be better for the sport if the courts were quicker at Flushing Meadows.
The issue for me more is: Maybe did they make a mistake? Maybe they did paint the court a bit too rough? It's just unfortunate, I think, that maybe all the Slams are too equal,'' the 16-time major champion said.I think they should feel very different to the Australian Open, and now I don't feel it really does.''
STEPHENS WINS: Sloane Stephens is used to being the inexperienced one.
But in her second Grand Slam match, the 18-year-old American realized she actually had a bit more seasoning than her opponent - and used that to her advantage.
Stephens earned her first victory in a major tournament Tuesday, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (3) over 20-year-old qualifier Reka-Luca Jani of Hungary, who was making her Grand Slam debut.
I kind of felt like I had the upper hand with the whole experience thing because, look, I know what I have to do,'' Stephens said.I know I have to execute, be aggressive, go for all of my shots. That's kind of what got me through because she got a little tight at the end.
``For me, it was like, 'I can do this. I can push myself that little extra.' And it helped, obviously.''
Stephens, the daughter of 1988 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year John M. Stephens, played her first Grand Slam match at the French Open in May, losing 7-5, 6-2 to Elena Baltacha.
I was so anxious and nervous and uptight,'' Stephens recalled.I couldn't say to myself, 'Stop, look, this is what you have to do.'''
The second time around, she took the attitude that ``today was definitely gravy.'' Ranked 106th, Stephens got into the U.S. Open thanks to a wild card.
It was a strong first round for young American women. Vania King and CoCo Vandeweghe also won Tuesday, joining Monday's winners Madison Keys, Christina McHale and Irina Falconi in the second round.
HELPING HAND: Elena Baltacha of Britain went from trying to beat Jamie Hampton of the United States to trying to help her.
Baltacha was on the verge of victory in their first-round match when Hampton collapsed because of heat illness.
``I thought, 'Oh, the girl can't even get up,''' Baltacha said.
So she went over to help trainers apply ice packs.
The 58th-ranked Baltacha was leading 2-6, 6-2, 5-1 when Hampton stopped playing.
Hampton, ranked 129th, is from Auburn, Ala., and got in through a wild card. She and Baltacha became friends during the clay-court season this year.
Follow Howard Fendrich at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich
AP Sports Writer Rachel Cohen contributed to this report.