A Latvian named Gulbis is making a name in the professional sports world by hitting a little ball. But this time it’s not Latvian-American professional golfer Natalie Gulbis.

This time it’s 19-year-old Latvia-born tennis player Ernests Gulbis, who surprised fans and his opponents Sept. 2 by breaking into the final 16 in men’s singles play at the U.S. Open.

Gulbis beat Spain’s Tommy Robredo 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 in a quick 91-minute third-round match in New York, according to the official Web site of the U.S. Open. Robredo was seeded eighth in the U.S Open, while Gulbis currently is ranked 88th by the Association of Tennis Professionals.

In his first round match, the right-handed Gulbis defeated 30th-seeded Potito Starace of Italy 7-5, 7-6, 6-3. In the second round, Gulbis bested Germany’s Michael Berrer 7-6, 6-2, 6-1.

The 6-foot, 3-inch (1.91-meter) Gulbis, according to the Association of Tennis Professionals, has made USD 138,935 this year. His career singles record is 8 wins and 15 losses, while his career doubles record is 4-7.

When Gulbis was 12 years old, he began training in Germany under former Croatian pro Nikola Pilic. Gulbis began playing professionally in 2004.

Gulbis next faces Spain’s Carlos Moya in a fourth round match scheduled for Tuesday morning, Sept. 4. Moya is seeded 17th. Whoever wins heads to the quarter-finals.

Gulbis is not the only Latvian who has been competing in the U.S. Open. Andis Juska, 22, beat Antony Dupuis of France 6-3, 6-3 in the first round men’s singles qualifier, but fell to Go Soeda of Japan in the second round, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.

Meanwhile, Latvia’s Līga Dekmeijere, 24, was paired with Ukraine’s Julia Vakulenko in women’s doubles play. They lost 6-2, 6-4 in the first round to the 14th-seeded pair of Agnes Szavay of Hungary and Vladimira Uhlirova of the Czech Republic.

 

 

The Latvian embassy in Dublin is especially encouraging Latvians in Ireland to get involved in the Aug. 31 “Viena diena Latvijā” (One Day in Latvia) documentary photography effort, but the project is open to all in Latvia and abroad.

The project, which will join professional photographers and citizen-photographers in an effort to record 24 hours in the life of the Latvian nation, replicates an effort 20 years ago. Back then, photographers from the Soviet Union, Germany and Finland documented a day in the life of what was then occupied Latvia. They shot 30,000 frames in 24 hours.

This time, the Embassy of Latvia wants Latvians in Ireland to be part of the project.

“You can photograph whatever seems interesting and characteristic of Latvian life in Ireland,” the embassy said in an Aug. 28 press release.

One of six themes in which citizen-photographers may submit their work is “Latvia and Latvians Abroad,” showing life in the diaspora. That means Latvians worldwide may participate in the project.

Photographs are to be taken between 12:01 a.m. and midnight on Aug. 31. They may be made with still cameras, mobile telephones or video cameras, according to “Viena diena Latvijā” organizers. Photos then are to be uploaded to the project’s Web site. Some of the photographs may end up in an album, digital presentation or exhibit.

Fifty professional photographers from Latvia and from several other countries will record specific assignments. Another 53 photographers and well-known Latvians with a passion for photography have been invited to augment the work of the professionals.

Further details on the project are available from www.vienadiena.lv.

The Daile Theatre of Latvia returns to North America for a 14-city tour in September and October, this time to perform the two-act comedy by playwright Jānis Jurkāns, “Dzīvīte, dzīvīte…”

The play, originally known as “Vistas” (The Hens), begins when someone steals the Debestiņš family’s hens. While the crime is investigated, Jurkāns’ play reveals that what really missing in the family is love.

Jurkāns’ comedy saw its premiere in the Daile Theatre in 2004.

Jurkāns, born in 1950, is the author of more than 20 plays and screenplays. According to the Web site of the Latvian Playwrights’ Guild, his plays focus on the individual and how they change. “Jānis Jurkāns looks at people without illusion,” the playwright’s biography states. Many of his plays are seen as dark, but Jurkāns sees them as light, because the characters are forced to look openly at their own lies.

Performing in the play are Olga Dreģe and Leons Krivāns as a pair of pensioners, Anna Debestiņa and Leons Fricis Debestiņš; Esmeralda Ermale as their daughter, Inese; Andris Makovskis as the policeman and Inese’s former boyfriend, Orests Feirāmis; Gunārs Placēns as Inese’s current boyfriend, Valdis; and Venta Vecumniece as the neighbor lady, Vizbulīte.

Directing the Daile performance is Juris Rijnieks, who has worked with the New Theatre of Rīga, the Liepāja Theatre and the Daile Theatre. Rijnieks directed “Dzīvīte, dzīvīte…” in 2004. This year he also has directed Lelde Stumbre’s “Laimīgā Blūmentāle” for the Daile.

Performances are scheduled:

• Sept. 7 in Massachusetts: At 7 p.m. in the Latvian Ev.-Lutheran “Trimda” Church of Boston, 58 Irving St., Brookline. The performance is organized by Mākslas draugu grupa. For further information, telephone Maija Priede at +1 (781) 329-7491.
• Sept. 8 in New York: At 7:30 p.m. in the Latvian Ev.-Lutheran Church of New York, 254 Valentine Ln., Yonkers. The performance is organized by the Council of New York Latvian Organizations. For further information, contact Jānis Riekstiņš at +1 (516) 674-8802.
• Sept. 9 in New Jersey: At 2 p.m. at the Latvian center Priedaine, 1017 Highway 33 East, Freehold. The performance is organized by the New Jersey Latvian Society. For further information, telephone Jānis Students at +1 (732) 836-9750.
• Sept. 13 in Ontario: At 7:30 p.m. in the Latvian Canadian Cultural Centre, 4 Credit Union Drive, Toronto. The performance is organized by the center. For further information, call Vizma Maksiņa at +1 (416) 759-4900.
• Sept. 16 in Ohio: At 1 p.m. in the United Latvian Ev. Lutheran Church of Cleveland, 1385 Andrews Ave., Lakewood. The performance is organized by the Latvian Society of Cleveland. For further information, contact Silvija Rutenberga at +1 (440) 205-9367.
• Sept. 18 in Michigan: At 7 p.m. in the Kalamazoo Latvian Hall, 100 Cherry Hill Drive, Kalamazoo. The performance is organized by the Latvian Society of Kalamazoo. For further information, contact Laima Kaugara at +1 (269) 353-4659.
• Sept. 21 in Illinois: At 7:30 p.m. in the Latvian House, 4146 N. Elston Ave., Chicago. The event is organized by the Latvian Society of Chicago. For further information, telephone Armands Birkens at +1 (773) 282-6510.
• Sept. 23 in Minnesota: At 1 p.m. in the Latvian Ev.-Lutheran Church of Minneapolis and St. Paul, 3152 17th Ave. S., Minneapolis. The performance is organized by the Latvian Organization Association of Minnesota and the church choir. For further information, contact Jānis Robiņš at +1 (651) 646-1980.
• Sept. 26 in Oregon: At 7 p.m. in the Latvian Center of Portland, 5500 Dosch Road S.W., Portland. The event is organized by the Latvian Society of Oregon. For further information, telephone Dace Garuta at +1 (503) 259-9557.
• Sept. 28 in Washington: At 7:30 p.m. in the Latvian Center, 11710 3rd Ave. N.E., Seattle. The performance is organized by the Latvian Society in Washington State. For more information, contact Jānis Kramēns at +1 (425) 941-2753.
• Sept. 29 in California: At 7 p.m. in the Northern California Latvian Ev.-Lutheran Church, 425 Hoffman Ave., San Francisco. The performance is organized by the Latvian Society of Northern California. For further information, telephone Emīls Elstiņš at +1 (925) 935-9769.
• Sept. 30 in California: At 1:30 p.m in Latvian Community Center, 1955 Riverside Drive, Los Angeles. The event is organized by the Latvian Theatre of Los Angeles. For further information, contact Ilga Jankovskis at +1 (818) 783-1437.
• Oct. 5 in Maryland: At 7:30 p.m. in the Latvian Ev.-Lutheran Church of Washington, D.C., 400 Hurley Ave., Rockville. The performance is organized by the Latvian Organizations in Washington, DC. For further information, contact Anita Juberte at +1 (301) 869-3127.
• Oct. 7 in Florida: At 4 p.m. in the Latvian American Center, 1705 9th Ave. N., St. Petersburg. The performance is organized by the Latvian Society of St. Petersburg. For further information, call Andris Ritums at +1 (727) 797-1933.

The tour is supported by the New York-based cultural society TILTS, which in 2004 organized the Daile Theatre’s North American performances of the Māra Zālīte play, “Zemes nodoklis.” Last year the cultural organization supported the National Theatre’s tour of North America with the Gunārs Priede play, “Zilā.”