Analysis for Stepanek-Ginepri (San Jose)

Head-to-head record 1:1

It is good to see Robie Ginepri back on the top scene. He is the player we admired a lot for his confidence, offensive style of play and fighting spirit. However, he has been struggling lately and drop out of top 100 which is the rank that doesn’t correspond to the player of his class. Ginepri adopts an offensive baseline strategy which he achieves through his aggressive powerful forehands. He possesses very strong forehand with powerful service returns. Apart from this shot, he possesses a relatively reliable two-handed backhand and his serve is also pretty solid. 2007 was a nightmare season for him. He slipped to No. 171 after this year's Australian Open, where he failed to qualify for the main draw. But then he reached back-to-back semifinals in his two main-draw appearances this season and boasts a 6-1 record on the season. Should he win the title, he would break back into the Top 100. He already outplayed Witten, Vliegen and claimed amazing 6-2, 6-2 victory over James Blake saying that it was probably the best match of his life. His opponent will be experienced Czech Radek Stepanek. He is also the player we admire for his ability to fight against adversities. His career was disrupted several times due to long lasting injuries but he always managed to get back to his previous level. On the other hand, he wasn’t as talented as other top tennis players and he was always known for the hard work and drill he experienced on his way to the top 10. He eliminated Capdeville, Reynolds and Lu on the way to semifinals here in San Jose. This is the surface both players like and we expect a very tight battle tonight. We see the chances to be 50:50 and Ginepri´s odds above 2.1 are worth trying for us.