By Matt Cronin, special to USTA.com

PARIS, France - The son of an old school Aussie player, American Taylor Dent was brought up to be a serve and volleyer, but back surgery has forced him to develop a more all around game, which is why on Monday at Roland Garros, the new father was able to stun Ecuadorian clay courter Nicolas Lapentti 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3) in the first round.

On a scorching hot day in Paris, with temperatures reaching into the high 80s, Dent was able to mix in big serves, hard forehands and wicked backhand slices to pull off the victory. At the age of 29 and with a big frame and a lack of world class foot speed, Dent will never be an excellent clay courter, but he’s smart enough to know how to employ the right tools when the circumstances call for it.

“Any time it’s hot and dry here, the courts are really quick,” said Dent, who registered his first main draw win at the tournament. “It’s almost like a hard court out there. The only downside is the footing isn’t great. Somebody like me who tries to stand and play close to the baseline, it gets a little bit tricky if I try to defend too much. Then I look like a snail out there. When the courts are quick, I’m able to dictate play a lot with my slice. If that’s happening, I’m able to get to the net very, very often. So it’s good things.”

Good things indeed. Back when he was junior, Dent actually thought that he had potential on the surface, even scoring a win over future Roland Garros finalist Guillermo Coria in the main draw. But as the years went past, he realized that just coming forward and trying to end points quickly wasn’t going to be a winning strategy on a surface that demands superior movement, some patience, smarts and defensive skills.

But due to the back injury that nearly forced him to retire in 2008, Dent continues to change things up, trying to play to his strengths rather than his weaknesses. He is an excellent volleyer but getting to net isn’t that easy against today’s standout returners. But what he realized on Monday was that if he could keep his one handed backhand slice low and biting, that it might give him and opportunity to charge and force Lapentti to pass from uncomfortable positions. And it worked.

“I volley and slice great and I wouldn’t trade them for anybody’s,” he said. “Unfortunately, in today’s game, those are a little irrelevant. But I still try and use those as much as possible. So when I play on a fast court, I’m able to dictate play with my slice and set up some approaching lanes so I can use my volleys. So it’s just kind of a work in progress.”

Coming into the match, Dent wasn’t expected to beat Lapentti, not just because the veteran clay courter has had success on the surface before, but because Dent himself hasn’t won a match on clay this season in the four tournaments that he has played. But the Southern Californian son of former Aussie standout player Phil and former U.S. top 10 player Betty Anne Grubb has an expansive tennis brain and enjoys going into the lab to experiment with new ways to solve the rectangle. At times, he boxes himself in. At other times, like on Monday, he puts his foes in a Rubik’s Cube.

“I’m a unique player for today's game. I don’t have a template to go off,” he said. “There’s nobody I can look at that’s successful playing the style I’m trying to play and say, ‘Oh, those are the kind of shots or the kind of patterns that he sets up successfully. Can I do that? Let's work on that.’ I’m a guinea pig. I’m a work in progress. That’s why I’ve had some good steps forward and some steps back, and that’s the way it’s gonna be.”

The No. 102 ranked Dent is in a new phase of his life as dad, as in January, his wife, former player Jenny Hopkins, gave birth to their first child, a son, Declan. He’s out there earning for his family now, but for the most part, he’s not doing it for the money. It’s the love of the game and hope for future success that keeps him going.

If the weather holds, he’ll have an outside shot of upsetting last year’s finalist, Sweden’s Robin Soderling in the second round. Like his compatriots, he wants to make a reasonable splash at Roland Garros. He’s sick of hearing how Americans can't adjust to the surface anymore.

“It is a Grand Slam,” he said. “We love coming over here and playing. There’s no doubt about it, and there’s nothing more that Americans love than to come over here and win matches. We always have that label, like, oh, you’re American, first round, see you later. So I think we get a lot of pride from winning matches here. But I would be lying to say our sights weren’t set at U.S. or Wimbledon. When you're an American tennis player, that’s what you grow up dreaming about.”