Fabio, a huge nerazzurri, passes 6-4 4-6 6-4 while his Inter were engaged in the semi-final of the Champions League: “These are the battles that exalt me”. Now Kecmanovic
– ROME
Novak Djokovic, a Milan fan, and Matteo Berrettini, companion of Melissa Satta, a well-known AC Milan fan, were at the San Siro enjoying the Euroderby. And the nerazzurrissimo Fabio Fognini? On the field to fight. He wanted to hurry up to see the derby with his son Federico, in the stands cheering with Flavia Pennetta, and instead the battle kept him there, for two hours and 52 minutes on the Central, until the start of the second half. Against Andy Murray, in a match between almost twins (they were separated by just 9 days, both born in May 1987), the Ligurian now 130 in the world due to the ailments that made him fall in the standings, won 6-4 4 -6 6-4. “It’s not over yet…” Fabio wrote on the camera holding his Federico in his arms after hitting the 2nd round that will see him opposite the Serbian Kecmanovic. “It’s never easy to come back after an injury, I didn’t feel very ready to play in Rome, but these types of battles are the ones that exalt me. I won a good game in front of my fans. Let’s see how I feel tomorrow…” .
the match
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In the battle against Sir Andy, the Scotsman who rewrote the history of British tennis before succumbing to a hip replacement, we saw a bit of everything: experience, pride, a few strokes from another era, painkillers and a lot of effort. Fabio got off to a good start winning the first set 6-4 thanks to a break in the third game, but in the second Murray rebelled against the defeat by snatching the serve from him in the opening game after 7 break points. Fabio sinks 5-1 with a double break and his box (where Corrado Barazzutti sits again) tries to shake him. “Come on, let’s take it back” says Flavia, who made history on the tennis court with the US Open title. The 2019 Monte Carlo champion tries to react, recovers a break, goes 5-2, then calls the doctor to get a painkiller. Fabio holds for the 5-3, he celebrates because in the meantime the news of his Inter’s goal arrives from the crowd. The charge is such that from 5-1 he has two balls for 5-4. The Ligurian grabs back the match, pushed by the Nerazzurri’s second goal and by the shouts of the crowd. He ends up 0-40 down, manages to come back up to 30-40, then a forehand into the net condemns him to the third set. Rocketing start with Fognini opening break. Instead, nothing to do for Flavio Cobolli who, after grabbing a good qualification, lost in two sets, 6-4 6-3, to the 27-year-old Frenchman number 89 in the world Arthur Rinderkneck.
THE DAY
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While waiting for tennis to fully take possession of the day at the Foro Italico, the rain was the protagonist of the day. Match in fits and starts in the afternoon, while in the morning, Stan Wawrinka, opened the program on the Central an hour and a half after the scheduled time against Ilya Ivashka. Two sets and clear victory for the three Grand Slam champion who conquered the second round in two sets with a clear 6-2 6-4. Now for him a second round against another one-handed backhand, that of Grigor Dimitrov. And speaking of fairy hands, Richard Gasquet also made his debut yesterday at the Forum, having to give up 3-6 6-3 6-3 to Wu Yibing. Fucsovics, Djere, Muller, Bublik and Garin also ahead. Thanasi Kokkinakis will instead be Jannik Sinner’s rival on Friday, the Greek passed the round thanks to the withdrawal of Jaume Munar, the Spaniard with whom he had had a fight in Madrid.
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