DuPuis Beats Odds by Defeating Kulti

Just last week, Anthony DuPuis’ girlfriend was tugging on his sleeve at a blackjack table in Las Vegas, urging him not to gamble more money.

After all, DuPuis already was down $100--quite a splurge for a man who is trying to support himself playing the ATP Satellite and Challenger circuits.

DuPuis’ luck changed Monday, when he defeated seventh-seeded Nicklas Kulti, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3, in the first round of the Infiniti Open at UCLA’s Los Angeles Tennis Center. It was DuPuis’ first appearance in an ATP tour event.

With the victory, DuPuis earned the biggest payday of his career by far. Players receive $5,100 for advancing past the first round in the Infiniti Open. DuPuis would be hard-pressed to make that in a month of playing Satellite and Challenger events.

DuPuis went up a break, 3-0, in the third set, then held on to win.

“I was scared toward the end,” said DuPuis, who also gained 17 ATP points to bolster his ranking, No. 382.

For No. 53 Kulti, who last year earned $181,645, the loss followed a first-round loss at Wimbledon last month and a first-round doubles loss in the Olympics at Atlanta last week with Swedish teammate Jonas Bjorkman.

“I felt very insecure on the court,” Kulti said. “I didn’t know how to move.”

Not only did Kulti’s feet fail him, his racket did as well.

Trailing, 1-0, in the third set, Kulti double-faulted twice and fell behind, 30-15. He served a winner to make it 30-30, but DuPuis sent a backhand down the line to bring up break point. Kulti hit an easy forehand into the net to give DuPuis the game then angrily threw his racket to the court.

The graphite racket bounced off the hard-court surface and back up at him, however, so Kulti kicked it out of his way.

Kulti had DuPuis on the ropes, 40-30, in the next game, but DuPuis served an ace and then gained the advantage with a forehand.

Kulti lost the game when he hit a backhand into the net. Then, he threw his racket at his chair as both players headed to the side of the court for the changeover.

Serving at 5-2, Kulti fell behind, 40-15. He saved two match-point opportunities and held serve, but it was too late. DuPuis didn’t give up a point in the last game before sending a passing shot cross court to win it, then holding his racket in the air.

DuPuis, 23, grew up playing on the clay courts of France. Playing in Satellite and Challenger tournaments for the last few years, he has developed a good all-surface game. He seemed a little overwhelmed, however, on the tennis center’s stadium court.

DuPuis qualified for the main draw by advancing to the final four of this weekend’s qualifying tournament at UCLA. Previously, his best finish in a Challenger event was in 1994, when he advanced to the quarterfinals at Scheveningen, Holland.

After beating Kulti, DuPuis poked his head timidly into the media room for his first news conference. He responded graciously to every question despite a slight difficulty with English--after one reporter asked what other players he has admired, DuPuis answered earnestly, “No, I only live with my girlfriend.”

Kulti advanced to the quarterfinals at the French Open in 1992 but sat out three months of the season last year while recovering from foot surgery.

“I was surprised that I didn’t play better myself. That was the biggest surprise today,” Kulti said.

In other first-round singles matches, top-seeded Michael Chang defeated Mauricio Hadad of Columbia, 6-2, 6-1, and eighth-seeded Bjorkman defeated Cristiano Caratti, 6-2, 6-3.

It was Chang’s 57th-consecutive victory over a player ranked outside the top 100. Hadad is No. 121.