Rio Open, Brazil

[CR28] Fabio Fognini (ITA) vs. [CR50] Pablo Andujar (ESP)

Fognini got a scare in his previous match and came out today showing the caliber of tennis he is capable of producing when he chooses to focus. Fognini can frustrate his fans, especially when he seems to be playing in a mental fog. Andujar was tense, too slow, and struggled to keep the ball in play.  Although Andujar had opportunities, he was unable to capitalize. To his detriment the frustration carried over to his next service game and he got broken.  Having lost to Fognini in both previous encounters, he was fighting two battles: the obvious one on court and the other, not so obvious, against his internal doubts.

The realization that he may lose a third time to Fognini after he lost the first set shook his wobbly confidence. Any belief that he could win disappeared when he lost his first service game in the second set and his frustration mounted. When Fognini comes out of his fog and plays well, he is such a joy to watch; he is lithe on his feet and his ability to execute brilliant shots is unrivaled. Although Fognini was a bit shaky when he served to close out the match, Andujar was never really much of a threat and he won easily 6-3, 6-2.