Ginepri keeps Stars and Stripes flying
PARIS (Reuters) - Robby Ginepri became the first American man in five years to reach the fourth round of the French Open with a clinical 6-4 6-4 6-4 win over local hope Florent Serra on Saturday.
Ginepri, the lone American survivor in either singles draw, ran his opponent ragged on an overcast Court One and completed victory in one hour 44 minutes when Serra skewed a forehand wide.
"Last guy standing, it's a good feeling," said Ginepri, who shares his coach, Jose Higueras, with world number one Roger Federer.
"I would definitely like to have a lot of the other Americans still in the tournament, but really not trying to let that weigh on my shoulders as much.
"I know what I have to do, and I'm going to have to do it," added Ginepri, who became the first U.S. male to reach the fourth round since Andre Agassi in 2003.
Ten men and nine women, including the Williams sisters, representing the United States had turned up in Paris searching for glory.
If the average tennis fan had been asked to pick out a potential American champion at the claycourt major, Ginepri would probably not have been many people's top choice.
While his compatriots have made a hasty exit, tail firmly between their legs, the 88th-ranked Ginepri has stood firm.
The 25-year-old's run here has certainly been remarkable given that, before this week, the Floridian had never won a singles match at Roland Garros in five previous visits.
"It's not too tough to top what I've done here before, so it's definitely a bonus, anything after the first round," quipped Ginepri, who has been playing this week with a brace round his right arm.
"The more I play on the clay, I think the better my all around game is going to get. And the smarter I am going to get out on the court.
He will next face Chile's Fernando Gonzalez, who knocked out Swiss ninth seed Stanislas Wawrinka.
Should he win that encounter, Ginepri could run into Federer in the quarter-finals, meaning their coach Higueras could face divided loyalties.
(Editing by Miles Evans)
