U.S OPEN JUNIOR FINALIST

Georgian Ginepri moves up on tour

By Sandra Harwitt
tennisreporters.net

Fred Mullane Camerawork USA, Inc.

INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 14 – Breaking out to a prominent position on the tour in the very shortest of times in the pros after winning the 2000 Australian and U.S. Open junior titles, Andy Roddick has become the focal point of America’s tennis hopes for the foreseeable future.

But there are other young Yankee Doodle Dandies that would like to share a bit of the spotlight with Roddick, although they all seem to acknowledge that the Boca Raton resident has taken the lead. Among the group nipping at Roddick’s heels are Taylor Dent, Mardy Fish, James Blake and Robby Ginepri.

The 18-year-old Ginepri, who hails from Marietta, Ga., is no stranger to the Roddick lore, having played the runner-up act to Roddick in the U.S. Open junior final last September. But to be fair, Roddick was the top seed in that U.S. Open junior competition and Ginepri was an unseeded entrant into the draw.

“What Andy’s done is wonderful for him,” said Ginepri, who said he’s played against Roddick about five or six times. “But Mardy, Taylor and James and I are hoping to be right behind.”

Steve Devries, a former tour player who is now a coach with the USTA, was assigned to work with Ginepri in June and believes that Roddick’s success could be an extraordinary motivational force for his pupil.

“If Robby regards Andy’s success in the right way, it can be extremely encouraging, to watch someone in your peer group see success,” Devries said. “Of course, if he wants what Andy has and he wants it right now, it might be a problem. But if he expects it to take some time to do, it will be okay and Andy’s success can be very positive.”

Ginepri showed some style on Tuesday afternoon at the RCA Championships when he held his composure to defeat tour veteran Karim Alami of Morocco 6-1 5-7 6-4 in the first round. In only his second career win in the main draw on the tour – his first came against Canadian Sebastien Lareau a few weeks ago in Los Angeles – Ginepri showed a great deal of maturity in the one hour, 58 minute match against Alami.

“It’s one of the things I really like about Robby, he keeps trying to be aggressive out there,” Devries said. “Of course, there are a few times that that gets him into trouble. At this point, he has more highs and lows than someone with more experience, but he has a good outlook.”

In the second set of the match, Ginepri held a 4-2 lead and although he handed the service break back to the Moroccan in the eighth game, Ginepri broke for a second time in the set at love in the ninth game. Inexperience played a part in his faltering from that 5-4 lead in the second set – Ginepri held five match points on his serve in the 20-point 10th game, but watched them all disappear. Alami kept himself alive in the match by breaking serve in not only that 10th game, but also in the 12th game to even the score at one set apiece.

Taking the lead in the third set with a service break in the third game, Ginepri finally had am edge that stuck with him for the duration. Nevertheless, he watched a sixth match point at 40-30 in the 10th game go unclaimed before he won the match three points later.

“I was extremely upset since I was feeling I won the match there in the second set,” said Ginepri, who after the match was seen walking around the tournament in a pose any American teenager would be caught in, wearing red flowered surfer shorts, a baseball cap with the brim turned towards the back and a cell phone affixed to his ear. “On one ball, I thought the ball was definitely out and I had won. It’s pretty hard to keep going, but you have to get over calls and everything.”
Devries points to Ginepri’s athletic skills – an ability to cover the court with ease and the fact that he’s been able to push around some tour veterans on court – as definite attributes that will work in the teens favor. Among the scalps he’s claimed at either the Challenger level or in qualifying events have been Alami, Lareau, Wayne Black, Cyril Saulnier, Sargis Sargsian and Justin Gimelstob.

At the moment, Ginepri is focused on two very important items – his second round match against Australian Open finalist Arnaud Clement here at the RCA Championships and word from the USTA whether a U.S. Open wildcard is in his immediate future.