By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, May 10, 2023
Wild card Fabio Fognini rode a brilliant third-set serving performance to subdue nemesis Andy Murray 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in a riveting Rome opener.
Photo credit: Alex Pantling/Getty Images
When it comes to volatile veteran rivalries, Andy Murray vs. Fabio Fognini have given us volcanic intensity and viral creativity.
The 35-year-old Fognini has called his combustible clashes with Murray, a couple of "hotheads" going at it on the edge.
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Today, Fognini fired up a brilliant third-set serving performance fending off nemesis Murray 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to reach the Rome second round.
A calm Fognini delivered his most dynamic tennis in the decisive set in front of a supportive crowd that included his wife, former US Open champion Flavia Pennetta, and their son Federico.
The 130th-ranked Fognini failed to survive the first round in six of his eight tournament starts this season.
So when Murray, coming off a clay-court challenger championship on Sunday, snatched the second set, the 2016 champion seemed to be taking charge.
The theatrical Italian responded with calm disposition and creative serving. Fognini fired four of his seven aces in the final set, opening and closing the final game with aces in a two hour, 54-minute triumph.
It is Fognini's third singles win of the season.
Moving smoothly and striking damaging down-the-line drives, Fognini hit 20 more winners than the two-time Olympic gold-medal champion—47 to 27—taking a 5-4 lead in his head-to-head series with Murray, including a 3-1 advantage in their clay-court encounters.
The first serve set up his first strike: Fognini served 70 percent and won 20 of 23 points played on his serve, including 7 for 7 on second serve, in the decider.
In his memoir, My Life Between the Lines, Fognini confessed while he respects Murray's skills he "despises" the former world no. 1 on court because he views Murray's clever-counterpunching as a form of tennis mockery.
“Andy Murray was arrogant since young age,” Fognini wrote in his memoir. “A guy all lobs and dropshots, tricky shots designed to mock you.
“Murray and I never got along. We are two hotheads and we lose our cool pretty quickly. When we are on court we despise each other.”
On this night, both men dug in and played some quality rallies.
Ultimately, Fognini's sharp serve and willingness to attack net—he won 19 of 25 trips to net, including a key smash in the last game—proved pivotal.
Wild card Fognini immediately applied pressure posing five break points in the opening game before Murray battled through an eight-minute hold for 1-0.
Straddling the baseline, Fognini broke for 2-1 when Murray slapped a forehand into net.
The Italian whipped a forehand drive volley to confirm the break for 3-1.
Over the weekend, the 35-year-old Murray rallied past top-seeded American Tommy Paul 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 to capture the Aix-en-Provence Challenger title. It was his first title in nearly four years and first clay-court crown since the 2016 Rome.
Amid slow, heavy, night conditions, Murray sometimes struggled to finish points while Fognini showed his skill zapping drives down both lines and mixing in some timely drop shots.
A fantastic flick backhand from Fognini helped the Italian hold for 5-3 though Murray was not buying it.
"You know you got that wrong!" Murray barked at chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani after the umpire ruled a Fognini shot touched the line despite the ball mark looking long of the baseline.
Serving for the set, Fognini pulled the string on a delicate drop shot winner for triple set point and closed the 67-minute first set with the first love hold of the match.
Playing confident, clean combinations, Fognini hit 17 winners against just three unforced errors in the set. Murray hit nine winners and more than tripled his opponent's error count with 11 in the set.
Resetting, Murray earned six break points in Fognini's opening service game of set two. The Italian gamely fought off all six, but after all that good work Fognini spit up successive double faults handing Murray the break and a 2-0 second-set lead.
Two-time Olympic gold-medal champion Murray was returning with more depth and precision and Fognini was feeling the heat. Fognini tossed in another double-fault as Murray snatched the double-break lead for 4-0.
Fighting off three set points, Fognini held in the seventh game.
Though Murray seemed to be in command, Fognini worked his way back into the set. Murray served for the set at 5-3 but could not close as he pasted a shot into the tape to drop serve.
Former Monte-Carlo champion was back on serve, but Murray flipped the wild script breaking for the third time in the set to force a decider after two hours, nine minutes.
The 130th-ranked Fognini drew first-break blood to start the final set.
Reading the court and the direction of the ball are Fognini assets. Fognini moved up quickly to a net-cord shot and banged a backhand winner for triple break point. Fognini seized the break on a Murray error.
The 5'10" Fognini fired his third ace down the T backing up the break for a 2-0 lead.
Fognini, who made his mark at age 32 as the oldest man in ATP history to crack the Top 10 for the first time, served with precision down the stretch.
Though he lacks the height and reach of big servers, Fognini can slide his first serve around the box with control when he's confident and set up first-strike opportunities with it. Slashing his fifth ace down the middle, Fognini sealed a love hold for 5-3.
Serving for the match, Fognini carved a sharp ace out wide.
Opening the court with a sharp-angled backhand, Fognini, who had botched a simple smash in the prior game, thumped this overhead for 30-15.
On his first match point, Fognini sent a forehand long. On match point number two, Fognini slammed his seventh ace down the middle capping a convincing third set in style.
Wife Flavia Pennetta embraced the couple's son, Federico, in the crowd as Fabio flashed a heart symbol toward family and friends.
Scoring his third win of 2023 sends Fognini into a second-round meeting vs. Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic.
The 30th-seeded Kecmanovic enjoyed a first-round bye. Fognini beat Kecmanovic 6-2, 7-5 in their lone prior meeting at the 2021 Monte-Carlo Masters.