John Isner rallies past Fabio Fognini to enter round two – Valencia Open 2012
Seeded fifth in this event, John Isner from United States needed three sets to outsmart the Italian contender, Fabio Fognini, at the Valencia Open 2012 on Monday. He summed up a 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-5 victory against the world number 44 to progress into the second
round at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 500 Series event held in Valencia, Spain.
The American number one remained focused throughout the battle, eventually sealing the deal in two hours and 16 minutes. After recording the victory in two hours and 16 minutes, Isner edged in the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head Series by 1-0 against the 25-year-old
and secured a place in the round of 16 at this indoor hard court event.
Isner quickly made on the right path after entering the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències. He smoothly held his serves until he drew the first blow in the sixth game and jumped to a 5-2 lead. The American kept his serve once again and clicked the opener
with a 6-3 win. He dusted away both breakpoints he came across and converted one out of four break chances to his advantage.
The world number 44, Fognini re-focused in the following set. He swiped his entire serves after brushing off both breakpoints he faced. The Italian failed to find any break opportunity but dominated in the tie-breaker, ultimately pulling out the equaliser
with a 7-6(4) score line.
Ranked 11th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Isner made a sloppy entry in the deciding set. After gifting away his serve in the fifth game, the American went 2-3 down. However, he not only recovered in the very next game but
held his composure to keep his remaining serves with ease. Isner got the breakthrough in the last game and clinched the decider with a 7-5 score line.
The seed will face off the Belgian contender, David Goffin. Goffin dumped the local challenger, Pablo Andujar, in straight sets to advance. He was broken four times but cashed eight out of 11 break chances to formulate a 6-2, 6-2 success.
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