Win could make American a star

INDIANAPOLIS -- Unseeded Robby Ginepri defeated No. 4 seed Taylor Dent on Sunday to win the RCA Tennis Championships, and in the process, emerged as a potentially formidable U.S. threat on the world tennis scene. \nBattling through the heat, Ginepri defeated fellow American Dent 4-6, 6-0, 3-0 (retire). Dent was forced to retire in the third set down 3-0 due to the high temperatures, which reached 110 degrees on the court. \nDent said the long week of tennis was a major factor as he played in the sweltering heat.\nAs a result, Ginepri was able to take advantage and secure his second career title, although he said it was difficult beating his friend and fellow American to take the title.\n"You never want to see one of your good friends pull out like that, its tough winning that way," Ginepri said. \nGinepri's victory will hopefully prove to be a turning point in American tennis, which has struggled recently in the world arena. \nThe all-American RCA final was the first at the event since 1992, when Pete \nSampras defeated Jim Courier, and the first in any ATP event since February of 2004, when Andy Roddick defeated Mardy Fish in San Jose. \nRoddick was the No. 1 seed in Indianapolis, but was defeated by Ginepri in the quarterfinals, 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 7-5. \nRoddick's loss appeared to be yet another insurmountable setback for American men's tennis, but Ginepri reversed the trend when he went on to take the championship.\nPrior to Ginepri's victory, American men had not won a single hard court event all year long. However, American tennis fans are hoping Ginepri's victory proves to be a rallying point. \nGinepri's victory is particularly poignant in that it came in the opening tournament of the U.S. Open Series, which leads up to the U.S. Open itself, a tournament an American has to win if the U.S. hopes to salvage a title in any of the four grand slam events.\nGinepri was once part of a class of young, talented American tennis stars seemingly on the rise. This class, which included Roddick, Dent, Fish, James Blake, and Vincent Spadea, drew comparisons to the dominant U.S. players of the late 80s and early 90s, which included players like Sampras, Courier, Andre Agassi, Michael Chang, and Todd Martin.