Red light for Fabio Fognini in the first round of the “Miami Open”, second ATP Masters 1000 of the season (combined with the third WTA 1000 of 2023) with a prize pool of 8,800,000 which is being contested on the Hard Rock Stadium hard courts (the “home” of the Miami Dolphins of NFL football), in Florida.
The 35-year-old from Arma di Taggian.91 ATP, who reached the semifinals in Miami in 2017 (stopped by Nadal), in the Italian night succumbed to his debut for 64 57 64, after more than two and a half hours of struggle, to the German Jan-Lennard Struff, n.103 of the ranking, promoted by the qualifiers. Fabio paid dearly for some indecision in the key moments of the match: the blue scored 33 winners against 27 free (32 against 22 the balance of his opponent) and won a total of only six points less than the German (104 against 110 ).
Fognini at his flashy best ?@fabiofogna #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/bYveR7gYU6
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 23, 2023
The Ligurian was leading 3-1 in the balance of the precedents with Warnstein’s 32-year-old and had also won the last one, played in the second round in the Indian Wells 1000 Masters in 2021. First set characterized by five breaks: at the start the German extends immediately (2-0) but the blue first recovers (2-2) and then in the seventh game he snatches the serve again from the German – which is not an easy undertaking – climbing 4-3. Fabio, however, fails to realize the advantage, loses his serve twice in a row and with an oversized forehand he delivers himself to the opponent (6-4). And he gets angry (not even that much actually) with the racket.
Starting of partial second Struff recovers from 15-40, cancels another break point also in the seventh game but in the eleventh the German buries the smash into the net after a very high lob by Fognini. This time Fabio doesn’t let the opportunity slip away and with a second on the line that forces the opponent to make a mistake in return he equalizes the set count (7-5).
Struff is saved in the third game of the decisive fraction canceling a break point with the combination forehand down the line on the break and smash. The two cling to their respective serving turns until a hard-fought game that lasts 12 points (second in terms of duration only in the fourth game of the first set with 14 points): Fognini misses four all-5 opportunities before conceding a break point, the first of the set, in the most delicate moment, because it’s also a match point. The German hits the backhand cross in the corner for the final 6-4 and this time Fabio’s racket has no escape. Sin.
It will therefore be Struff who will face the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in the second round, n.27 in the ranking and 21 in the seeding.