Analysis for Garcia Lopez-G.Lapentti (ATP Houston)

Head-to-head record 0:0

Giovanni Lapentti of Ecuador will play Spaniard Guillermo Garcia Lopez in the first round on green clay in Houston. Lapentti is a defensive baseliner who returns every ball and relies on the opponent making mistakes. He has consistent shots, makes few errors of his own while making it difficult for opponents to hit winners. His game has more to do with physical endurance and determination to retrieve un-retrievable balls as well as mental stamina. Lapentti excells on slow courts and he should feel well here in Houston. He was impressive in qualifiers defeating Nunez, Martin and Delic without dropping a single set and his confidence should be fine. His opponent will be Spanish player Guillermo Garcia Lopez. Lopez still remains far behind expectations this year however he made some solid results in 2008. He is one of the most unpredictable players in the modern game, as he is capable of spectacular shotmaking especially with his outstanding single hand backhand and clever dropshots. But we rate him among the most inconsistent players and you never know what to expect from him. Bearing in mind that Lapentti has solid qualifying matches under the belt, we think he shouldn’t be such a big underdog here. Anything above 2.3 is worth taking for us.