A battle played point to point against a tough opponent like few others. Won with the arm and with the heart by Fabio Fognini who in the Italian night broke the pass for the quarters of the “Rio Open”, ATP World Tour 500 tournament with a prize pool of $ 1,815,115 being played on the clay courts of Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil (last year it was canceled due to the pandemic), broadcast live and exclusively by SuperTennis, the FIT TV.
The 34 year old from Arma di Taggia, 38 ATP, fresh from the quarterfinals in Baires and finalist in this tournament in 2015 (when he defeated Nadal in the semifinals before yielding to Ferrer), in fact he beat a comeback for 57 64 63, after three hours of struggleSpanish Pablo Carreno Busta, 18 ATP and fourth favorite in seeding. A very tough match that Fognini brought home thanks to a third set played at an incredible pace.
A spicy one in Rio ??????@fabiofogna defeats 4th seed Carreno Busta 5-7 6-4 6-3 in 3 hours to seal his spot in the quarter-finals!@RioOpenOficial pic.twitter.com/nclh0DLxbd
– Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 17, 2022
The 30-year-old from Gijon is a bit of Fabio’s “black beast” having imposed himself in seven of their eight previous matches but the blue had won the most recent one, played in the 2021 ATP Cup semifinals. to zero in the first game Fabio dominated for most of the first set. The “almost” is represented by what has happened since the blue went to serve to close ahead 5-4. Here Fognini conceded the first ball-break of the set with a double fault, canceled it and then with two rights, one of a nothing in the corridor and the other deflected from the net, he missed two set points before returning racing the Spanish (5-5).
Carreno did not let himself be repeated and for the first time took the lead (6-5). In the twelfth game a little bit of everything happened: after recovering from 15-30 to 40-30, suspension of the match for several minutes due to an illness of a spectator in the stands, at the resumption the blue missed four opportunities to the tie-break and, after having canceled with short-ball and passing and then with a first serve two set-points, at the third opportunity for the 30-year-old from Gijon he ended up giving up the partial 7-5 with another error of right.
In the third game of the second set, Fognini returned to having the ball-break but did not take advantage of it. In the sixth it was the blue who canceled two of them, thanks to the forehand (3-3): and in the eighth he canceled another thanks to a strong first (4-4). In the ninth game with a fantastic backhand stop-volley Fabio got two break points but Carreno was saved thanks to as many strong firsts: on the third, however, the Spaniard’s double foul arrived. And shortly after Fognini equalized the set count (6-4).
The level of trading became really high and the Ligurian took a break advantage even at the start of the decisive fraction but returned it immediately (1-1) and in the fourth game it was he who risked going under a break (2 -2). At the change of court with the Spaniard forward 3-2, the blue asked for a medical time out to have the tape rearranged on his left wrist: and at the resumption of the match he started hitting both forehand and backhand as if there was no tomorrow taking another break ahead (4-3). This time Fabio confirmed it (5-3) and then with the fourth game in a row he closed the conversation (6-3).
On Friday in the quarters Fognini will find the Argentine Federico Coria29 years old from Rosario, n.63 in the ranking, never faced in his career.
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