Atp Rio, Fognini in the semifinals. Waiting for Berrettini-Alcaraz

Fabio Fognini spreads the Argentine Federico Coria 6-4 6-2 in two sets and reaches the semifinal, the third in his career at the ATP 500 in Rio de Janeiro. A growing Fognini, especially in the second set when he started immediately sprinting ahead of a break and leaving no way out for the 29-year-old Argentine from Rosario, n.63 in the ranking, never faced before in his career. Fabio managed the match perfectly trying to save the energy he will need to play the semifinal against the winner between Matteo Berrettini and Carlos Alcaraz around midnight Italian (live Sky and Supertennis).

After Montecarlo

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For Fabio this is the first semifinal since Monte Carlo 2019, when he won the title: “When I play here I am always very happy and being in the semifinal is a great satisfaction – said Fognini after the game -. 2020 was a bad year, for the pandemic and for the operation I underwent on my ankles. In 2021, coming back after the operation was tough. I fought a lot and continue to fight, against my opponents and against myself. I have always had tennis, the ranking is no longer a problem, I just want to try to do my neglect “. The next match could be a derby, or a tough match against the talented 18-year-old Alcaraz: “They are two great champions, one is top 10, the other is very young but very soon he will be among them. I just want to try my best. and enjoy the match “.

Matteo and Carlitos

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The 25-year-old from Rome, number 6 in the world and seeded number 1 of the tournament, returns to the red where he was missing from the quarterfinals of Roland Garros last June. After the suffered success in the second round over the Brazilian Thiago Monteiro, n.106, now he finds again the pupil of Juan Carlos Ferrero, n.29 in the ranking. This is the third intersection between the two and the balance is thus far on a par with the success of the 18-year-old from Murcia at the tie-break of the 3rd set in the quarter-finals of the Vienna 2021 tournament, and the victory of Matteo in the 3rd round of the last Australian Open, last month, in a splendid battle that ended at the fifth tie break.