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| 30 Jun 2001 | |
| Lapentti back on form |
By Eleanor Preston
Giovanni Lapentti was the star of Junior Wimbledon yesterday. The eighteen-year-old Ecuadorian made a happy return to the All England Club, winning a tough first round match in the Boys’ singles competition. Giovanni, whose older brother Nicolas is one of the stars of the ATP men’s tour, beat 11th seed Lamine Ouahab 6-2, 6-1.
Giovanni has come through difficult times recently, having struggled with injury for most of this year, but he has always dreamed of playing at Wimbledon and regards the green lawn courts of Wimbledon as his favourite place to play in the world.
It’s not surprising Giovanni has special memories of the place. Last year his dream came true when, together with his brother Nicolas, he helped the Ecuador Davis Cup team to an extraordinary victory over Great Britain, whose team included grass court specialists Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski. The Lapentti brothers defeated Henman and Arvind Parmar in the doubles on Wimbledon’s famous No.1 Court, before Giovanni put in a heroic performance in the tense final match, coming from two sets down against Parmar to win the tie for Ecuador and put them back in the Davis Cup World Group. When he hit the winning point Giovanni’s team mates ran onto the court and leapt on him in celebration
Thanks to that performance, and to Nicolas’ exploits on the ATP tour, the brothers are already big names back home in Guayaquil, their home town, but Giovanni is anxious to make his name too, starting with the green, green grass of Wimbledon. His win over Ouahab showed just why many people think he is one of the most promising junior players in the world. Like his brother, Giovanni is fast on his feet, hits the ball hard on the forehand side and he is happy to volley at the net. He was certainly too quick and too strong for Ouahab, taking just over an hour to beat the Algerian.
There were plenty of Brits watching Giovanni’s win, all keen to see how the younger Lapentti is playing. Great Britain must face the Ecuadorians again this September, when the British team travels to Guayaquil to try and gain revenge over the South Americans and beat the Lapentti brothers on home turf.
In the meantime, Giovanni will be hoping to make another dream come true by lifting the boys’ title at Wimbledon.
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