ATP News : 2005


Ginepri hands Davydenko third-round Madrid defeat

Madrid (dpa) - Improving American Robby Ginepri upset third seed Nikolay Davydenko 6-3, 7-5 Thursday at the 2.1-million-euros Masters Series Madrid to stretch a recent run of form.


The 16th-seeded Ginepri, who has won the second title of his career and reached a first-ever Grand Slam semi-final over the past several months, booked into a second consecutive Masters Series quarter-final. His effort over the Russian in just under 90 minutes duplicated his performance at Cincinnati in August.

Davydenko, in the queue for qualifying for one of eight spots at next month's Masters Cup year-end event, now stands 11-8 at the elite Masters events this season, reaching a semi-final against Roger Federer last May in Hamburg.

The Russian currently stands seventh the race to Shanghai, venue for the year-end championships. Ginepri now stands 35-20 this breakthrough season and faces the
winner from French Open finalist Mariano Puerta and Spaniard David Ferrer.

Ginepri was unable to serve out victory against Davydenko while holding a 6-3, 5-4 lead, but managed on his second try through 18 winners and 17 unforced errors.

Argentine David Nalbandian, last year's losing finalist to Marat Safin, booked into the last eight with a win over Sweden's Thomas Johansson 6-3, 7-5. Nalbandian called the indoor surface at altitude in Madrid "not real firm, so the ball bounces with a slightly different speed in some places." He added: "It's also normal on indoor courts to find these things."

The three-time 2005 Grand Slam quarter-finalist was quietly optimistic about his chances of doing well again in the Spanish capital. "I feel comfortable and if I keep playing this way, I'll be in the final rounds." Nalbandian stands 12th on the road to Shanghai; but his previous form indoors (Basel champion 2002) suggest that he could move up nicely given results over the last three weeks of the regular ATP season.



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