Italian Fabio Fognini earned his largest win of the season Wednesday night when he defeated Scot Andy Murray on the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.
It has been a battle to start 2023 for the previous High 10 star, who arrived on the Foro Italico with a 2-8 tour-level document. However the wild card thrilled the Rome crowd with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory to achieve the second spherical after two hours and 54 minutes.
The veterans entered the match having cut up their first eight ATP Head2Head clashes. This was their first assembly since 2019 in Shanghai, the place Fognini received a final-set tie-break. They performed on the Foro Italico in 2017, when Murray was the No. 1 participant within the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Fognini emerged victorious in straight units on that event.
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The Rome ATP Masters 1000 occasion has not all the time been Fognini’s finest match (14-15 document), however he has usually discovered magic on house soil towards Murray, whom he has defeated in all three of their showdowns in Italy.
It was clear from the early moments of Wednesday’s match that it could flip right into a battle of wills. Each males labored arduous for each level, with the primary six video games taking 48 minutes and the primary set lasting 73 minutes.
Within the early levels, Fognini confirmed his intent to attempt to management play and forestall Murray from weaving his difficult strategic internet from the baseline. The Italian broke serve on his sixth alternative and surged by means of the remainder of the set towards final week’s Aix-en-Provence ATP Challenger Tour 175 champion.
Because the match wore on, Murray appeared to attempt to take the initiative, and he took a 5-1 lead within the second set. However even then, Fognini refused to permit the in-form Scot to stroll right into a decider, getting again on serve earlier than relinquishing the set.
The important thing within the third set was Fognini’s dominance in his service video games, dropping simply three factors on serve all through the set. Murray let slip a break instantly by lacking a brief forehand broad, and was by no means capable of get better.
In the identical part of the draw, #NextGenATP Frenchman Arthur Fils earned his first ATP Masters 1000 foremost draw win when he defeated fellow qualifier Juan Manuel Cerundolo of Argentina 6-1, 1-6, 6-4.
Photograph: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Fils ousted Fognini within the ultimate spherical of qualifying finally 12 months’s Rolex Paris Masters earlier than dropping in a rematch with the Italian within the first spherical of the principle draw. They may meet once more in Rome in the event that they each attain the third spherical.
Fils will face a stiff problem from seventh seed Holger Rune, who lifted the trophy final 12 months at Paris-Bercy. Fognini will face thirtieth seed Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia.
Did You Know?
Fognini is at No. 130 within the Pepperstone ATP Dwell Rankings. In April the Italian slipped from the world’s High 100 for the primary time since 2009.
from Tennis – ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/QGo5bY2
