Mission accomplished for Fabio Fognini. The Ligurian tennis player passed the first round of the Italian Internationals, winning a grumpy match against the British Daniel Evans. Victory in three sets for the blue, who was able to inflame – and there was no doubt – the fans in the stands of the Foro Italico. A victory seasoned with English-style controversy. Evans, in fact, was disappointed by a wrong call from the chair umpire on a break point in his favor in the third set.
Fognini-Evans: the referee’s sensational error
A call that was probably decisive, because Fognini then won the game and marched confidently towards success. The situation was a set equal and 3-1 for the Italian, with Evans at 30-40. A forehand outside from Fognini would have given the game to Evans. He would, why the referee awarded the point to the Italian, starting a sensational show. A scene he remembered the incredible mistake in the Monte Carlo semi-final between Sinner and Tsitsipas, even if on that occasion Jannik maintained – as usual – an enviable aplomb.
Fognini inflames the Rome public: what determination
A very hard-fought match, however, between Fognini and Evans, with Fabio who started very strong in the first set, won rather authoritatively with a score of 6-3. Evans’ reaction, then, in the second set, led from start to finish in the lead and closed in his favor at 6-3. So the third and decisive set, with an initial break by Fognini and the already told episode of the judge’s wrong call of chair. Then Fognini closed the score without too many problems by winning 6-2.
Fabio’s next challenge: the one against Taylor Fritz
In the second round of the main draw the expert Ligurian tennis player will face a sacred monster of the circuit, Taylor Fritz, seeded number 11. Match which should be played between 5pm and 8pm at the Grand Stand Arena. The difference in the ranking between the two players is large: Fritz is 26 years old and is number 13 in the world, Fognini is ten years older and is number 92. However, the precedents are tied: one victory for each side, with blue who won in 2018 in Chengdu and the American who won in 2019 in Los Cabos.
