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3/8/08 5:10 PM | Ricky Dimon
In a semifinal matchup that nobody could have predicted—at least not one half of it—Kevin Anderson will meet Robby Ginepri on Saturday afternoon in Las Vegas. Both players are unseeded, but both are completely on top of their games at the moment, so it should be a high-quality affair.
This is the surging Ginepri’s third-straight semifinal appearance, having reached that stage in both Delray Beach and San Jose. The American pulled off a three-set win over compatriot Mardy Fish to reach the semis in Delray Beach, then got revenge for his semifinal loss there by crushing James Blake the very next week in the quarterfinals of San Jose. Ginepri is a player who lives on confidence and momentum, so it should not be a shock that his hot streak has continued at the Tennis Channel Open. This week he has been near-flawless ever since his first set of the tournament. In the opening round he rallied past Xavier Malisse 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 before upsetting third-seeded Marcos Baghdatis 7-6(2), 6-3. On Friday afternoon he simply destroyed error-prone Ernests Gulbis 6-1, 6-2 in just 53 minutes. If Ginepri wants to make it one step further than he did in his previous two tournaments, he’ll have to dispose of a player he—and almost everyone else—has never seen.
Anderson, who is in his first full year on the pro tour after playing college tennis at Illinois, had played—and lost—just two ATP matches in his career prior to this week. It’s all come together in Las Vegas, however, for the 6’7’’ 21-year-old from South Africa. The former University of Illinois standout surprised Michael Llodra in the opening round and then dispatched fellow big-server John Isner 7-6(2), 7-5 to reach his first-ever ATP quarterfinal. Now he is into his first semifinal after routing Evgeny Korolev 6-2, 6-0 just one day after the Russian stunned top-seeded Fernando Gonzalez.
Anderson boasts a huge serve thanks to his 6’7’’ frame, so he should be able to hang tough in this match even though the more-experienced Ginepri is a clear favorite. Ginepri completely broke down both Baghdatis and Gulbis from the baseline in his last two matches and he should be able to do the same thing to Anderson, who is similar to those two players in that he has tons of power and likes to be the aggressor. He will have to play steady tennis against Ginepri, who has been making a living on getting ball after ball back in play this week. Anderson will be able to keep this one close by holding serve, but it will be hard for him to withstand the pressure of both an ATP semifinal and having to hit so many shots in order to finish off points.
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Did you know that... Lleyton Hewitt won an ATP-title in Adelaide 1998, ranked as number 550 in the world.
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Kevin Anderson
Robby Ginepri
Tennis Channel Open
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