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  • Action-packed Monday in New Haven

    8/18/08 6:13 PM | Ricky Dimon
    - A huge slate of first-round matches are on tap at the Pilot Pen tournament in New Haven. Among those in action are Nicolas Lapentti, Sebastien Grosjean, and Robby Ginepri.

    Fabio Fognini vs. Nicolas Lapentti

    This is the second career meeting between Fognini and Lapentti. They squared off in Palermo back in 2006 on clay, the preferred surface for both men, and Lapentti prevailed in a third-set tiebreaker. Fognini, 21 and ranked No. 84 in the world, has enjoyed somewhat of a breakout 2008 campaign, although he has done most of his damage on clay. Last week in Washington, D.C. he beat Marat Safin (Safin retired after losing the first set) before falling to Igor Kunitsyn in a third-set tiebreaker. Lapentti just turned 32 but he is experiencing a resurgence this season. His year was highlighted by three wins at the Masters Series Cincinnati, where he ended up losing to Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals. Look for the veteran to outlast his much younger opponent in a three-set baseline battle.

    Wayne Odesnik vs. Sebastien Grosjean

    Another mismatch in age will take place when Odesnik, 22, takes on the 32-year-old Grosjean. Odesnik is one of the few Americans who actually prefer clay courts to any other surface, and he reached the semifinals of Houston and the third round of Roland Garros on the dirt. He is 2-2 in matches during the U.S. Open Series, not including a withdrawal against Dmitry Tursunov in the Indianapolis second round. Grosjean has done little since a solid start to the season in Australia, and he lost in the first round of both Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. This is anyone's match to win in what should be another war of attrition from the back of the court, but it just feels like the veteran is due for a victory.

    Luis Horna vs. Robby Ginepri

    Horna and Ginepri have not met since 2005. Ginepri took a 2004 Australian Open encounter in straight sets and Horna responded with a two-set victory in Washington, D.C. a year later. The Peruvian had no such luck in Washington this time around. He got waxed by Donald Young 6-3, 6-1 and he has not won an ATP level match since the first round of the French Open. Ginepri, who reached the Roland Garros fourth round, is right at home on his favorite surface: U.S. hard courts. While he tore it up during the spring hard-court swing, he has not been on fire during the U.S. Open Series and it remains to be seen how he will bounce back from a trip to Beijing, where he lost to Novak Djokovic in round one. Ginepri in two is the pick, although that says more about Horna than it does about Ginepri.

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