Unlikely Series leader Ginepri wins in Indy

 

Originally published on: 26/02/10 11:39

Unseeded former champion Robby Ginepri rolled back the years to beat Sam Querrey 6-2 6-4 in the Indianapolis Tennis Championships final and take a surprise lead in the US Open Series.

The American, who lifted the title back in 2005 and only recently returned to the tour after surgery for a ruptured appendix in March, got off to a rip-roaring start with a break to love in the first game.

A double fault from No.3 seed Querrey sealed the break, and although he regained his composure temporarily he once again crumbled on serve at 4-2, this time dropping five straight points from 40-0 to effectively hand Ginepri the set.

“I trained extremely hard coming into this event and it definitely paid off”

The world No.95 was dominating the match from the baseline, rarely offering his 21-year-old opponent a sniff on serve. Almost inevitably, Querrey faltered again, again losing a disastrous service game at 4-4 from 40-0 up, eventually succumbing after a series of deuces with another double fault.

In contrast, Ginepri served the match out to love to claim his third career title.

“I had a great run this week and sure enough I did it,” said the American, who now leads the 2009 US Open Series after one event. “I trained extremely hard coming into this event and it definitely paid off this week.”

For Querrey, the defeat is the second loss in a final in his past two tournaments, and his third title defeat this season after defeats in Auckland and Newport a fortnight ago.

Away from the US hard courts, Nikolay Davydenko recovered from a slow start to claim his first title of the season and the 15th of his career with a 6-4 6-2 victory over Paul-Henri Mathieu in Hamburg.

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