By Alberto Amalfi | Tuesday, October 10, 2017
Fabio Fognini fought off Lucas Pouille, 7-6 (7), 6-3, and could face world No. 1 Rafael Nadal in a Shanghai round of 16 clash.
Photo credit: Shanghai Rolex Masters
Fabio Fognini was a smooth operator in Shanghai.
Playing with precision and mixing angles masterfully, Fognini outdueled Lucas Pouille, 7-6 (7), 6-3, to advance to the Shanghai Rolex Masters round of 16.
Watch: Kyrgios Walks Off in Shanghai, Blames Virus
It was Fognini’s first hard-court win over Pouille. Four of the six sets the pair have played have been decided in tie breaks.
The 30-year-old Italian could face nemesis Rafael Nadal for a quarterfinal spot if the world No. 1 defeats American Jared Donaldson in his opener tomorrow.
Fresh off his 75th career title in Beijing, Nadal rides a 12-match winning streak into Shanghai.
Wimbledon finalist Marin Cilic conquered Kyle Edmund, 6-3, 7-6 (5) in the first meeting between the pair.
The fourth-seeded Croatian will play either Chinese wild card Di Wu or American Steve Johnson in the round of 16.
The 45th-ranked Johnson advanced to the second round in bizarre fashion as 13th-seeded opponent Nick Kyrgios retired after dropping the opening set, 7-6 (5).
Frustrated by some line calls, Kyrgios was hit with two code violations for unsportsmanlike conduct, including a point penalty in the tie break.
A courtside microphone caught Kyrgios telling his box he would stop playing if he lost the set.
When the set ended, Kyrgios walked to net, shook Johnson's hand, shook the chair umpire's hand, picked up his bag and bailed after 47 minutes of play.
The 22-year-old Aussie apologized to fans on Twitter claiming he’s been battling a stomach virus and a sore shoulder.
Kyrgios was one of three men to retire on a humid Shanghai day today.
Jack Sock, Kyrgios' sometime doubles partner, retired while trailing qualifier Alexandr Dolgopolov, 4-6, 1-6, 6-1-2. Dolgopolov moved on to a second-round match with Feliciano Lopez.
Argentine Diego Schwartzman advanced to a second-round match with world No. 2 Roger Federer after dispatching Australian qualifier Jordan Thompson, 6-4, 7-6 (4).
Mischa Zverev, who won his opening set, 6-3, retired down 5-6 in the second set to compatriot Jan-Lennard Struff.
Struff will play 11th-seeded Kevin Anderson next. The US Open finalist flogged Adrian Mannarino, 6-3, 6-1.
Viktor Troicki defused Canadian wild card Denis Shapovalov, 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-0, setting up a second-round encounter with fifth-seeded Dominic Thiem.
In a battle of hard hitters, Juan Martin del Potro pounded out a 6-3, 6-4, triumph over Andrey Rublev. Del Potro could play fourth-round Alexander Zverev for a place in the last eight if Zverev beats Aljaz Bedene tomorrow.
For the second round in a row, Richard Gasquet prevailed going the distance. Gasquet defeated Hyeon Chung, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 and will play either David Goffin or Gilles Simon in the round of 16.