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  • Poertschach First Round: Robby Ginepri vs. Mario Ancic

    5/19/08 2:14 AM | Ricky Dimon
    - It's no surprise that this will be an evening match on center court, as Robby Ginepri and Mario Ancic are two of the biggest names in the field. Ginepri is looking to bounce back from injury, while Ancic aims to continue his good form.

    Don't tell the Poertschach tournament organizers that there won't be any bigtime tennis this week with most of the top players in the world resting up for Roland Garros. When these two players are healthy, Robby Ginepri vs. Mario Ancic is a match suitable for the latter stages of a Grand Slam. This time, however, they will be meeting in a first-round clash at a relatively minor event in Poertschach, Austria.

    It will be the second career head-to-head encounter for Ginepri and Ancic. Ginepri has the 1-0 advantage, having taken out Ancic back in 2006 at the Masters Series Madrid in hard-court match that featured two tiebreakers.

    Ginepri, however, has a monumental task ahead of him if he wants to get the better of Ancic once again. It's been a tough road for the American ever since a blistering start to the season that included semifinal finishes in Delray Beach, San Jose, and Las Vegas. An elbow injury he sustained during a three-set loss to Carlos Moya in the second round of Indian Wells derailed Ginepri's progress. The 97th-ranked player in the world has not even come close to regaining his form on clay. Ginepri is 0-3 on the slow stuff in 2008, with straight-set losses to Dudi Sela in Houston, Pablo Cuevas at a Challenger event in Bermuda, and Yuri Schukin in Barcelona.

    If he can't hang with those guys, what's to say he can pull off an upset over Ancic? The 6'3'' Croat has been injury free since returning to the ATP Tour following the Australian Open, and it has showed. Ancic was runner-up in Marseille and reached the semifinals in Zagreb, the third round at the Masters Series Indian Wells, and the fourth round at the Masters Series Miami. So far on clay he has scored wins over Feliciano Lopez and Andy Murray (among others), and he made it to the third round in Barcelona.

    Both players prefer faster surfaces, although Ancic appears to be far more comfortable than Ginepri on the dirt. Ginepri owns a shockingly bad 2-19 career record on clay. Given that history and his recent physical troubles, it is hard to imagine him defeating the 7th-seeded Ancic on Monday. Still, when healthy Ginepri's talent is undeniable, and if he is feeling 100 percent he could be able to give Ancic a run for his money. All in all, however, Ancic is more match-tough at the moment and should take this in straight sets.

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