Nicolás Lapentti

Nicolás Lapentti

Country	Ecuador
Residence	Miami, Florida
Born	August 13, 1976 (1976-08-13) (age 35) Guayaquil, Ecuador
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Turned pro	1995
Retired	January 18, 2011
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Career prize money	US$6,148,511
Singles
Career record	317–287 (at ATP Tour level, Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup)
Career titles	5
Highest ranking	No. 6 (November 22, 1999)
Current ranking	No. 473 (February 14, 2011)
Grand Slam results
Australian Open	SF (1999)
French Open	4R (2000)
Wimbledon	QF (2002)
US Open	3R (2001)
Doubles
Career record	153–159 (at ATP Tour level, Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup)
Career titles	3
Highest ranking	32 (May 10, 1999)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open	QF (1999, 2001, 2003)
French Open	QF (1998)
Wimbledon	3R (2003)
US Open	3R (2003)
Last updated on: May 10, 2010.

This name uses Spanish naming customs; the first or paternal family name is Lapentti and the second or maternal family name is Gómez.

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Nicolás Alexander Lapentti Gómez (born August 13, 1976 in Guayaquil) is a former professional tennis player from Ecuador who is ranked 214th (Oct. 18, 2010). He is Andrés Gómez's nephew.

Beginnings

Lapentti began playing tennis at the age of six.

He first came to the tennis world's attention an outstanding junior player who won the Orange Bowl in Florida in 1994, when he also captured the junior doubles titles at the French Open (partnering with Gustavo Kuerten) and the US Open.

Professional

Lapentti turned professional in 1995 and won his first top-level singles title later that year at Bogotá.

In 1999, Lapentti was a semi-finalist at the Australian Open. He also won two tour singles titles that year and reached his career-high singles ranking of World No. 6 that November.

In 2002, Lapentti won his fifth tour singles title at St Pölten, beating Fernando Vicente in straight sets in the final. In the second round of that tournament, his rival, Irakli Labadze, faced four match points but was not able to convert any of them. Lapentti finally won that tough match 5/7, 7/6(1), 7–6(6).

His brother, Giovanni, is also a professional tennis player, ranked 224 (as of October 23, 2008). In addition, another brother, Leonardo, has been active at the lower levels of professional tennis.

In his last participation in a Grand Slam, he lost to Israeli Dudi Sela in the first round in 2007 at the US Open in Flushing Meadows.

In the Cincinnati Open 2008, Lapentti defeated David Ferrer in second round, Fernando Verdasco in the third round and faced No 2 seed Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals where he lost in straight sets. With that victory over Lapentti, Nadal clinched the world No. 1 ranking for the first time.

Davis Cup

He has also been a member of the Ecuador Davis Cup team since 1993. Representing his country in Davis Cup since he was 17, and won the deciding rubber against Great Britain (July 2000) to put Ecuador in the World Group.

Personal

Set up the Nicolás Lapentti Foundation in late 2000 to help bring tennis to the underprivileged, and develop future champions. Other interests include soccer and reading Robert Ludlum books.

Career finals

Singles: 12 (5–7)

Wins (5)

Legend (Singles)

Grand Slam (0)

Tennis Masters Cup (0)

ATP Masters Series (0)

ATP International Series Gold (2)

ATP Tour (3)

No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
1.	September 11, 1995	Bogotá, Colombia	Clay	Miguel Tobón	2–6, 6–1, 6–4
2.	August 16, 1999	Indianapolis, United States	Hard	Vincent Spadea	4–6, 6–4, 6–4
3.	October 18, 1999	Lyon, France	Carpet (i)	Lleyton Hewitt	6–3, 6–2
4.	July 23, 2001	Kitzbühel, Austria	Clay	Albert Costa	1–6, 6–4, 7–5, 7–5
5.	May 20, 2002	St. Pölten, Austria	Clay	Fernando Vicente	7–5, 6–4

Runner-ups (7)

No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
1.	9 September 1996	Bogotá, Colombia	Clay	Thomas Muster	7–6(6), 2–6, 3–6
2.	27 October 1997	Bogotá, Colombia	Clay	Francisco Clavet	3–6, 3–6
3.	5 July 1999	Gstaad, Switzerland	Clay	Albert Costa	6–7(4), 3–6, 4–6
4.	9 October 2000	Tokyo, Japan	Hard	Sjeng Schalken	4–6, 6–3, 1–6
5.	11 February 2002	Viña del Mar, Chile	Clay	Fernando González	3–6, 7–6(5), 6–7(4)
6.	7 July 2003	Båstad, Sweden	Clay	Mariano Zabaleta	3–6, 4–6
7.	25 September 2006	Palermo, Italy	Clay	Filippo Volandri	7–5, 1–6, 3–6

Doubles: 7 (3–4)

Wins (3)

1997—Amsterdam, Mexico City; 1999—Adelaide

Runner-ups (4)

1996—Bogotá; 1997—Santiago; 1999—Prague; 2004—Viña del Mar

Performance timelines

Singles

Tournament	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	SR	W–L
Grand Slams
Australian Open	A	A	A	1R	A	2R	SF	2R	2R	4R	3R	2R	A	A	2R	A	1R	1R	0 / 11	15–11
French Open	A	A	A	1R	2R	1R	2R	4R	2R	1R	3R	1R	A	2R	2R	3R	1R	1R	0 / 14	12–14
Wimbledon	A	A	A	2R	1R	1R	2R	1R	A	QF	2R	A	A	A	2R	1R	1R	A	0 / 10	8–10
US Open	A	A	A	1R	2R	1R	2R	2R	3R	1R	2R	A	1R	A	1R	1R	2R	A	0 / 12	7–12
Win–Loss	0–0	0–0	0–0	1–4	2–3	1–4	8–4	5–4	4–3	7–4	6–4	1–2	0–1	1–1	3–4	2–3	1–4	0–2	0 / 47	42–47
Year-End Championship
Tennis Masters Cup	A	A	A	A	A	A	RR	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	0 / 1	0–3
ATP Masters Series
Indian Wells	A	A	A	1R	A	3R	A	SF	QF	1R	1R	3R	A	A	A	LQ	3R	A	0 / 8	12–8
Miami	A	A	A	1R	2R	1R	3R	QF	3R	QF	4R	2R	2R	1R	A	LQ	LQ	2R	0 / 12	14–12
Monte Carlo	A	A	A	A	A	1R	2R	1R	1R	1R	1R	A	A	A	A	2R	3R	A	0 / 8	4–8
Rome	A	A	A	A	A	2R	QF	2R	SF	1R	1R	1R	A	A	A	2R	LQ	LQ	0 / 8	10–8
Hamburg	A	A	A	A	A	2R	SF	1R	3R	1R	1R	2R	A	A	LQ	A	NM1		0 / 7	8–7
Canada	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	1R	2R	2R	1R	A	A	A	A	1R	LQ	A	0 / 5	2–5
Cincinnati	A	A	A	A	A	1R	3R	1R	1R	1R	1R	A	1R	A	LQ	QF	LQ	A	0 / 8	5–8
Madrid (Stuttgart)	A	A	A	A	A	A	3R	2R	3R	3R	A	A	A	A	LQ	LQ	A	A	0 / 4	5–4
Paris	A	A	A	A	A	A	SF	2R	3R	2R	2R	A	1R	A	LQ	LQ	A	A	0 / 6	7–6
Win–Loss	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–2	0–1	3–6	16–7	8–9	15–9	7–9	3–8	4–4	1–3	0–1	0–0	5–4	4–2	1–1	0 / 66	67–66
Year End Ranking	326	632	109	121	63	90	7	24	23	29	57	122	95	67	109	86	97	447

References

External links

• Official website (Spanish)
• Nicolás Lapentti at the Association of Tennis Professionals
• Nicolás Lapentti at the Davis Cup

Awards
Preceded by Andre Agassi	ATP Most Improved Player 1999	Succeeded by Marat Safin

Persondata
Name	Lapentti, Nicolás
Alternative names	Lapentti Gómez, Nicolás Alexander (Spanish)
Short description	Tennis player
Date of birth	August 13, 1976
Place of birth	Guayaquil, Ecuador
Date of death
Place of death