Fabio Fognini delighted Italian supporters with a hard-fought victory on Thursday in reaching the quarter-finals of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.
One week shy of his 31st birthday, Fognini recovered from a 2-4 deficit in the first set – by winning five straight games – en route to a 6-4, 6-4 third-round victory over Peter Gojowczyk in one hour and 33 minutes.
This year’s Brasil Open titlist (d. Jarry), currently No. 21 in the ATP Rankings, hit 19 winners — including 11 forehands — to set up a Friday clash against top-seeded Spaniard Rafael Nadal, the seven-time former champion, or #NextGenATP Canadian Denis Shapovalov.
It was Gojowczyk, competing in only his seventh ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament, that claimed the first break, courtesy of an errant forehand from Fognini, serving at 2-2, 30/40. The lead was short-lived, as errors began to mount up for the 28-year-old German — he committed 18 unforced errors, largely late on in the 43-minute opener. Trailing 2-4, Fognini went on to clinch five straight games, which included a second break of Gojowczyk’s serve at 4-5, 15/40, when the World No. 53 struck a forehand approach into the net.
Chances to break serve came and went for both players in the second set, notably at 2-2, with Fognini serving at 30/40, when Gojowczyk narrowly missed a crosscourt backhand, then, with the German serving at 3-4, 30/30, when Fognini overcooked a forehand close to the net. The pressure began to tell on Gojowczyk at 4-5, when he hit two double faults, and, as Fognini focused and tightened up his game, the Italian was rewarded with his 20th match win of the season (20-10) after hitting a forehand crosscourt winner.
Fognini is through to his fourth Masters 1000 quarter-final or better - also 2013 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters semi-finals, 2014 Western & Southern Open quarter-finals and 2017 Miami Open presented by Itau semi-finals.
from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/2GqSYO8
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