Marcel Granollers downs Fabio Fognini to reach last 16 – Internazionali BNL d’Italia 2012
Ranked at number 26 in the world, Marcel Granollers of Spain displayed high quality tennis to hunt down the world number 45, Fabio Fognini, in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 in the second round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia at Rome,
Italy on Wednesday. Granollers required an hour and 34 minutes to post the win over his opponent.
In the first set, both players started by holding their serve in the first two games to even out the score at 1-1. Granollers made a strike in the third and consolidated on it to take the score to 3-1. The 26-year-old broke again
in the seventh game to stretch his lead to 5-2 but lost next two, reducing his advantage to 4-5. Granollers lost just one point in the 10th to seal it 6-4.
The Barcelona, Spain resident hit a single ace and the equal number of double fault, keeping his first serve percentage at 77 and clinching 11 of the 20 points on them in the opening set. Granollers played tremendously well on
the second deliveries and returns, as he snatched five of the six and three of the five points on them respectively.
Fognini made a good start in the second set, making a breakthrough in the very first game and grabbing his following serve to attain a 2-0 lead. The Italian, though, struck back in the sixth and levelled the score at 3-3. Fognini
went down 15-40 when he served to stay in the match at 4-5. The 24-year-old saved those two break points and another one later but not the fourth one, dropping it 4-6.
Granollers maintained a decent first serve percentage of 76, converting 19 of the 29 of them into points. On the other hand, Fognini fell behind on the first delivery percentage with the slightest of margins, as he kept it at 75
but the Italian succeeded in winning just 14 of the 24 points on them. Granollers utilised two of the eight break chances he created and avoided one of the two threats he received.
The Spaniard has now won seven of the total 16 matches he has played in 2012. In his latest tournament, Granollers was beaten by the then world number 13, Nicolas Almagro, in straight sets 3-6, 6-7(3) in the round of 32.
The 6ft 3in tall will lock horns with second seed, Rafael Nadal, in the round of 16. The King of Clay beat Florian Mayer in the second round.
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