By Tennis Now | Sunday, January 10, 2021
Jeremy Chardy fought off Fabio Fognini in an epic triple tie breaker 7-6(4), 6-7(1), 7-6(5) to reach the Antalya Open quarterfinals.
Photo credit: Christopher Levy
Tennis is all about second chances.
Jeremy Chardy made the most of his fighting off Fabio Fognini in a triple Turkish tie breaker 7-6(4), 6-7(1), 7-6(5) to reach the Antalya Open quarterfinals.
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It was a topsy-turvy test that saw Chardy serve for a straight-sets win at 5-4 only to see Fognini break and fly through the tie breaker to force a final set.
The third-seeded Italian served for the match at 6-5 in the final set, but Chardy broke and kept calm throughout a tense third tie breaker.
The 33-year-old Frenchman closed in two hours, 53 minutes earning his second win in six career meetings against Fognini.
Next up for Chardy is a quarterfinal clash vs. fifth-seeded German Jan-Lennard Struff, who took a walkover into the last eight.
Matteo Berrettini served 67 percent and won 26 of 28 first-serve points powering past Dimitar Kuzmanov 6-2, 6-3 in 68 minutes.
The top-seeded Italian has dropped just nine games setting up a quarterfinal against Alexander Bublik.
No. 8-seeded Bublik beat Tristan Lamasine 6-2, 6-4, saving seven of eight break points along the way.