Worth the WaitRobby Ginepri raised a finger to challenge the call on his baseline, but then realized the call had gone his way. His racket fell to the court and Ginepri dropped to one knee and raised his arms in a sort of lightning bolt formation.
In just an hour and three minutes, he had beaten Sam Querrey 6-2, 6-4 for his first title since 2005, which also came in Indianapolis. As a two-time Indy champ, Ginepri joins a club that includes only Boris Becker, Pete Sampras, and Andy Roddick. “This one is more special because I didn’t expect it,” Ginepri said after the match. “It’s funny how things work out. Sometimes you work so hard and the results don’t come. I hadn’t won back-to-back matches all year. After my second match here, I got that monkey off my back.”
Fit and at home on Stadium Court, Ginepri served well, returned a lot of balls, and played a variety of shots, from driving down-the-line backhands to softly angled forehands. Playing Isner in the semi helped him acclimate to big serves, and Ginepri needed these little advantages: Right now, he is playing without a coach. “I like someone in my corner, pushing me at all times,” he said.
Semi SimilarIf history had repeated itself today at the Indianapolis Tennis Championships, Frank Dancevic would have made another improbable run to the final after driving himself to the tournament from Canada and scoring the last direct entry into the main draw, as he had in 2007, while Sam Querrey would have bowed out of the tournament in the semifinals for the third year in a row. Instead, Querrey advanced to his first final here and his second ATP World Tour championship match in three weeks, and Dancevic is filling up the gas tank for the trip home.
Meeting in the first semifinal, the two stayed close, with Querrey winning all but a few points on his first serve. Dancevic fell into a love-40 hole while serving at 4-5 in the first set, but dug out of it with a couple of good serves. Finally, though, the 21-year-old Californian got the break for the set and followed up with an early break in the second. Then he dropped serve at 5-3 from the sunny side of the court. But he didn’t panic. “I knew when we switched sides, he would have trouble with the sun,” Querrey said after the match.
Revenge is a Dish Better Served to the Forehand Side
