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| Country (sports) |  Ecuador |
|---|---|
| Residence | Miami,Florida, U.S. |
| Born | (1976-08-13)13 August 1976 (age 49) Guayaquil, Ecuador |
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) |
| Turned pro | 1995 |
| Retired | 2011 (last match 2017) |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | $6,313,898 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 321–299 |
| Career titles | 5 |
| Highest ranking | No. 6 (17 April 2000) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | SF (1999) |
| French Open | 4R (2000) |
| Wimbledon | QF (2002) |
| US Open | 3R (2001) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | RR (1999) |
| Grand Slam Cup | QF (1999) |
| Olympic Games | 1R (1996,2004,2008) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 153–159 |
| Career titles | 3 |
| Highest ranking | No. 32 (10 May 1999) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | QF (1999, 2001, 2003) |
| French Open | QF (1998) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (2003) |
| US Open | 3R (2003) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | 1R (2001,2010) |
Nicolás Alexander Lapentti Gómez (Spanish pronunciation:[nikoˈlaslaˈpenti]; born 13 August 1976) is an Ecuadorian former professionaltennis player. Lapentti was ranked world No. 6 in men's singles by theAssociation of Tennis Professionals (ATP) in April 2000.
His brothers,Giovanni and Leonardo, uncleAndrés, and cousinsRoberto Quiroz andEmilio Gómez have also been professional tennis players. His father, also named Nicolás Lapentti, was a star basketball player at the College (now University) of St. Thomas in Minnesota from 1963 to 1967, and played on the Ecuador Olympic team.
He 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 readingRobert Ludlum books.
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 theFrench Open (partnering withGustavo Kuerten) and theUS Open.
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, defeatingThomas Johansson,Magnus Norman,Mikael Tillström,Andrew Ilie andKarol Kučera before losing toThomas Enqvist. 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, beatingFernando 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, also a professional tennis player, reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 110 in May 2005. In addition, another brother, Leonardo, has been active at the lower levels of professional tennis.
In the Cincinnati Open 2008, Lapentti defeatedDavid Ferrer in second round,Fernando Verdasco in the third round and faced No. 2 seedRafael 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.
In his last participation in aGrand Slam championship, he had to retire againstNovak Djokovic in the first round of the2009 French Open.
In 2017, it was announced that Nicolás would compete in theEcuador Open doubles draw alongside brother Giovanni, playing in the final event of his career.[1]
He has also been a member of theEcuador Davis Cup team since 1993. Representing his country inDavis Cup since he was 17, and won the deciding rubber against Great Britain (July 2000) to put Ecuador in the World Group. Moreover, he owns the Davis Cup record for most matches won in five sets, with a total of 13 victories.
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| Result | W/L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Sep 1995 | Bogotá Open, Colombia | World Series | Clay |  Miguel Tobón | 2–6, 6–1, 6–4 |
| Loss | 1–1 | Sep 1996 | Bogotá Open, Colombia | World Series | Clay |  Thomas Muster | 7–6(8–6), 2–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 1–2 | Oct 1997 | Bogotá Open, Colombia | World Series | Clay |  Francisco Clavet | 3–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 1–3 | Jul 1999 | Swiss Open, Switzerland | World Series | Clay | Albert Costa | 6–7(4–7), 3–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 2–3 | Aug 1999 | Indianapolis Tennis Championships, United States | Champ. Series | Hard |  Vince Spadea | 4–6, 6–4, 6–4 |
| Win | 3–3 | Oct 1999 | Grand Prix de Lyon, France | World Series | Carpet (i) |  Lleyton Hewitt | 6–3, 6–2 |
| Loss | 3–4 | Oct 2000 | Japan Open, Tokyo | Intl. Gold | Hard |  Sjeng Schalken | 4–6, 6–3, 1–6 |
| Win | 4–4 | Jul 2001 | Austrian Open Kitzbühel, Austria | Intl. Gold | Clay | Albert Costa | 1–6, 6–4, 7–5, 7–5 |
| Loss | 4–5 | Feb 2002 | Santiago Open, Chile | International | Clay |  Fernando González | 3–6, 7–6(7–5), 6–7(4–7) |
| Win | 5–5 | May 2002 | St. Pölten, Austria | International | Clay | Fernando Vicente | 7–5, 6–4 |
| Loss | 5–6 | Jul 2003 | Swedish Open, Båstad | International | Clay |  Mariano Zabaleta | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 5–7 | Sep 2006 | Campionati Internazionali di Sicilia, Italy | International | Clay |  Filippo Volandri | 7–5, 1–6, 3–6 |
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| Result | W/L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Sep 1996 | Bogotá Open, Colombia | World Series | Clay | Pablo Campana |  Nicolás Pereira David Rikl | 3–6, 6–7 |
| Win | 1–1 | Aug 1997 | Dutch Open, Amsterdam | World Series | Clay | Paul Kilderry | Andrew Kratzmann Libor Pimek | 3–6, 7–5, 7–6 |
| Win | 2–1 | Oct 1997 | Mexican Open, Acapulco | World Series | Clay | Daniel Orsanic |  Luis HerreraMariano Sánchez | 4–6, 6–3, 7–6 |
| Loss | 2–2 | Nov 1997 | Santiago Open, Chile | World Series | Clay | Julián Alonso | Hendrik Jan Davids Andrew Kratzmann | 6–7, 7–5, 4–6 |
| Win | 3–2 | Jan 1999 | Adelaide International, Australia | World Series | Hard |  Gustavo Kuerten | Jim CourierPatrick Galbraith | 6–4, 6–4 |
| Loss | 3–3 | May 1999 | Prague Open, Czech Republic | World Series | Clay | Mark Keil | Martin DammRadek Štěpánek | 0–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 3–4 | Feb 2004 | Santiago Open, Chile | International | Clay | Martín Rodríguez | Juan Ignacio ChelaGastón Gaudio | 6–7(2–7), 6–7(3–7) |
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | P# | DNQ | A | Z# | PO | G | S | B | NMS | NTI | P | NH |
| Tournament | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | SR | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 | Q1 | 2R | 2R | 3R | 1R | 1R | 0 / 14 | 12–14 |
| Wimbledon | A | Q1 | A | 2R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 1R | A | QF | 2R | A | A | A | 2R | 1R | 1R | A | 0 / 10 | 8–10 |
| US Open | A | Q1 | A | 1R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 2R | 3R | 1R | 2R | Q1 | 1R | Q3 | 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 championships | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Tennis Masters Cup | Did not qualify | RR | Did not qualify | 0 / 1 | 0–3 | |||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam Cup | Was Not Invited | QF | Not Held | 0 / 1 | 1–1 | |||||||||||||||
| ATP Masters Series | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Indian Wells | A | A | A | 1R | Q2 | 3R | A | SF | QF | 1R | 1R | 3R | A | A | A | Q1 | 3R | A | 0 / 8 | 12–8 |
| Miami | A | Q1 | Q2 | 1R | 2R | 1R | 3R | QF | 3R | QF | 4R | 2R | 2R | 1R | A | Q1 | Q1 | 2R | 0 / 12 | 14–12 |
| Monte Carlo | A | A | A | A | Q2 | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | A | A | Q1 | A | 2R | 3R | A | 0 / 8 | 4–8 |
| Rome | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | QF | 2R | SF | 1R | 1R | 1R | A | Q1 | A | 2R | Q1 | Q1 | 0 / 8 | 10–8 |
| Hamburg | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | SF | 1R | 3R | 1R | 1R | 2R | Q1 | A | Q1 | A | NM1 | 0 / 7 | 8–7 | |
| Canada | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | 2R | 2R | 1R | Q1 | Q2 | A | A | 1R | Q2 | A | 0 / 5 | 2–5 |
| Cincinnati | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | 3R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | A | 1R | Q1 | Q1 | QF | Q1 | A | 0 / 8 | 5–8 |
| Madrid (Stuttgart) | A | A | A | A | A | A | 3R | 2R | 3R | 3R | A | A | Q1 | A | Q1 | Q1 | A | A | 0 / 4 | 5–4 |
| Paris | A | A | A | A | A | A | SF | 2R | 3R | 2R | 2R | A | 1R | A | Q2 | Q2 | 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 | ||
| Season | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | Total |
| Wins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| # | Player | Rank | Event | Surface | Rd | Score | LR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | |||||||
| 1. |  Yevgeny Kafelnikov | 7 | Kitzbühel, Austria | Clay | 3R | 6–4, 6–1 | 61 |
| 1999 | |||||||
| 2. | Àlex Corretja | 8 | Gstaad, Switzerland | Clay | 1R | 4–3 ret. | 26 |
| 3. | Carlos Moyá | 10 | Indianapolis, United States | Hard | QF | 6–1, 6–2 | 20 |
| 4. | Gustavo Kuerten | 5 | Lyon, France | Carpet (i) | QF | 5–7, 6–4, 7–5 | 14 |
| 2001 | |||||||
| 5. |  Magnus Norman | 5 | Indian Wells, United States | Hard | 1R | 4–6, 6–1, 6–1 | 27 |
| 6. |  Tim Henman | 10 | Indian Wells, United States | Hard | 3R | 6–4, 6–4 | 27 |
| 7. | Juan Carlos Ferrero | 4 | Kitzbühel, Austria | Clay | QF | 7–6(8–6), 6–2 | 36 |
| 8. | Lleyton Hewitt | 3 | Paris Masters, France | Carpet (i) | 2R | 4–6, 6–4, 6–4 | 30 |
| 2003 | |||||||
| 9. | Jiří Novák | 8 | Miami Open, United States | Hard | 2R | 2–6, 6–3, 6–4 | 39 |
| 2006 | |||||||
| 10 | Nikolay Davydenko | 6 | Kitzbühel, Austria | Clay | 2R | 6–3, 6–3 | 116 |
| 2008 | |||||||
| 11. | David Ferrer | 4 | Cincinnati, United States | Hard | 2R | 7–6(7–2), 3–6, 6–3 | 89 |
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | ATP Most Improved Player 1999 | Succeeded by |