TENNIS in DEPTH.

“It’s very exciting for me to reach the quarter-finals, especially because I haven’t got this far in a lot of tournaments this year and I like it here in Russia,” said Ginepri. “It was good that I could follow up the great win over Igor (Andreev) with a very solid match today.”

Robby Ginepri reached his second ATP World Tour quarter-final of the season after defeating Spaniard Marcel Granollers 7-6(5), 6-0 Thursday at the Kremlin Cup, an ATP World Tour 250 indoor hard-court tennis tournament in Moscow, Russia.

Ginepri, who had upset fourth seed and 2005 champion Igor Andreev in the first round, built on his success by saving nine of the 10 break points he faced to dismiss Granollers in 90 minutes. The 27 year old broke serve four times from nine opportunities and struck seven aces in the pair’s first meeting.

World No. 92 Ginepri was impeded at the start of the season by a bout of appendicitis that left him 30 pounds lighter when he returned to the tour in May. He had won just four of 17 matches when he snapped a four-year title drought with victory at the Indianapolis Tennis Championships, defeating Sam Querrey in an all-American final.

Ginepri is through to the quarter-finals in Moscow for the first time, after suffering a second-round exit (l. to Kunitsyn) on debut last year, and next will face sixth seed Janko Tipsarevic, who advanced when Christophe Rochus retired ill with Tipsarevic leading 6-4, 2-1.

“Bad luck for him today but I think I was going to win anyway as I was in control of the match,” said Tipsarevic. “I feel really good right now. It will be tough against Ginepri and I need to start off well as I have done in my two matches here.”

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