![]() |
Britain's Andy Murray walks on the clay court during his match against Italy's Fabio Fognini at the Italian Open tennis tournament, in Rome, Wednesday, May 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) |
Fabio Fognini edged fellow 35-year-old Andy Murray in a nearly three-hour battle in the opening round of the Italian Open on Wednesday.
Given a wild card entry after a month out with an injured
foot, Fognini hit more than twice as many winners as Murray (49-24) in a 6-4,
4-6, 6-4 win on Campo Centrale.
Murray was coming off his first title in three years after
he won an ATP Challenger event in southern France over the weekend for his
first tournament victory since 2019 — and first on clay since 2016.
But Fognini’s crafty shot-making proved the difference as
the Italian produced a series of drop-shot winners that were so effective
Murray didn’t even attempt to run them down.
Murray was also left fuming after protesting a linesman’s
call late in the first set, which gave Fognini a 5-3 advantage. Murray pointed
to the mark on the red clay and told the chair umpire that it was clearly out.
“How can you see that ball from there being in? How is it
possible?” Murray said. “You know you got that wrong.”
After the match was over, Murray had more words for the
chair umpire, while Fognini wrote on a camera lens, “It’s not over.”
“I still like playing these type of matches,” said Fognini,
who improved to 5-4 in his career against Murray, the 2016 champion in Rome.
Another veteran who advanced earlier was Stan Wawrinka, who
wasted little time securing a 6-2, 6-4 win over Ilya Ivashka after the start of
play was delayed for 90 minutes due to rain.
At age 38, Wawrinka is the oldest man in the tournament but
he dominated Ivashka by also hitting more than twice as many winners as his
opponent to close it out in little more than an hour.
“This year I am playing much better, but I need to win more
matches. That is what I am missing a bit, the confidence to win more matches,”
said Wawrinka, who had two surgeries on his left foot in 2021 and two
operations on his left knee in 2017. “But in general the level is great.”
Wawrinka, a three-time Grand Slam champion, next faces
26th-seeded Grigor Dimitrov, with the winner potentially meeting top-ranked
Novak Djokovic in the third round.
“My dream is to win another trophy, another tournament,”
Wawrinka said. “Of course I’m getting older, it’s getting more and more
difficult. The passion and the love for the sport is still there; that’s why I
keep pushing myself.”
Djokovic, who has a first-round bye, will open against Tomas
Martin Etcheverry, who advanced with a 7-6 (7), 6-3 win over 18-year-old Luca
Van Assche, the youngest player in the top 100 of the rankings at No. 85.
Etcheverry reached clay finals in Santiago, Chile, and
Houston earlier this year.
Also advancing on the red clay of the Foro Italico were
Alexander Bublik, Cristian Garin, Marton Fucsovics and Sebastian Baez.
Australian qualifier Thanasi Kokkinakis was leading Jaume
Munar 4-2 in the first set when his Spanish opponent retired due to lower back
pain.
Kokkinakis will next face local favorite Jannik Sinner.
Arthur Fils, another rising 18-year-old French player, beat
fellow qualifier Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 for his first Masters 1000
victory, setting up a meeting with Holger Rune.
Wu Yibing of China rallied past French veteran Richard
Gasquet 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 for his first tour win on clay.
In women’s action, Lesia Tsurenko eliminated two-time champion
Elina Svitolina in all-Ukrainian matchup.
Sloane Stephens beat Nadia Podoroska 6-4, 6-1 and next meets
14th-seeded Victoria Azarenka.