Fabio Fognini eases past Rui Machado to advance into second round – Studena Croatia Open 2011
Crowd favourite and sixth seed, Italian Fabio Fognini dumped Portuguese Rui Machado in straight sets at the Studena Croatia Open, an ATP World Tour 250 series event held in Umag, Croatia. He easily earned a 6-4, 6-3 success over
the 27-year-old Portuguese to advance into the second round on Tuesday.
Ranked 38th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour rankings, Fognini displayed tremendous skills on the clay courts of this ATP event and succeeded by earning a straight set victory over the Portuguese, ranked 47
places below him, on their first meeting. It took one hour and twenty-seven minutes for Italian to triumph over Machado and to take lead in their head-to-head series by 1-0.
Fognini made a shaky start at the ITC Stella Maris as he lost his opening serve to trail 0-2. However, he roared back by snatching the back the break in the very next game. Later, the Italian exchanged another break in the next
two games and broke Machado’s serve for the third time in the ninth game to eventually seal the opener with a 6-4 win.
The Sanremo native clobbered a poor first serve share of 48 percent as compared to Machado’s 58 percent and registered an acceptable 47 percent win on it. He saved two out of three breakpoints faced but cashed in on all three breakpoint
opportunities to his advantage which made the difference.
The seed lost his ways in the final set as he again gifted away his opening serve to trail 0-2. However, he again made a fit counter reply be reeling off next four games in a row before the Portuguese could hold on again for the
last time at 4-3. Fognini kept his rage mode to wipe out the last two games and pocket the set with a 6-3 score line.
Fognini again produced a lower first serve share but registered a spectacular 85 percent win on it. Despite failing to save the only breakpoint conceded, he converted three out of eight breakpoint chances to his advantage.
24-year-old Italian will next face Belgian Olivier Rochus who trashed Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky in straight sets to reach this spot.
The Belgian saved all five breakpoints faced with his amazing defensive skills and capitalised on two out of seven breakpoint opportunities to his advantage to seal the match with a 6-4, 6-4 score line.
It took one hour and forty-five minutes for the 30-year-old Belgian to book a second round spot and to take lead in the head-to-head series by 2-0 against Stakhovsky.
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