Fiery Fognini Loses 1st 13 Points Then Wins ATP Sao Paulo Championship

by Jeremy Davis | March 4th, 2018, 1:48 pm
  • 13 Comments

At age 30, Fabio Fognini is showing he is far from retiring, far from no longer receiving fines for his outlandish behavior, and far from no longer winning titles, as he displayed Saturday in Sao Paulo.
ADHEREL
The Italian 5-foot-10 stallion won his first title since 2017 Gstaad, also on clay, after defeating 22-year-old riser Nicolas Jarry 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 in the championship match at the Brasil Open.

“It is never easy to win a tournament,” Fognini said. “I managed to wait for Jarry’s serve to be less effective, that was the secret.”

Fognini lost the first 13 points of the contest as Jarry claimed the first set in 22 minutes.


Fognini in the second set fought off a break point in the first game, then sailed to the second set win 6-1 after Jarry “fell out of his tree,” sailing shots long that in the first set landed for winners, especially off the forehand side. The third set saw the Italian grind out a 6-4 win with the help of a 61 percent second serve points winning ratio to only 39 percent for the Chilean.

The No. 2-seeded Italian improved to 6-9 in career ATP finals, with all six wins coming on clay.

The fiery Fognini was handed a fine of almost $100,000 and a provisional ban from two Slams after calling a woman chair umpire a “whore” and “cocksucker” at last year’s US Open.

Prior to last month, Jarry had never reached the quarterfinals at the ATP level. Now over the last two months he has a quarterfinal effort to his credit at Quito, a semifinal at Rio de Janeio, and now his first final. The efforts will have him on the verge of cracking the Top 60 on the ATP rankings.


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13 Comments for Fiery Fognini Loses 1st 13 Points Then Wins ATP Sao Paulo Championship

Humble Rafa Says:

calling a woman chair umpire a “whore” and “cocksucker” at last year’s US Open.

You membership base expanded considerably after you published those words. Congratulations.


Willow Says:

Yeah i did like FF but after saying this i lost alot of respect for him ….


j-kath Says:

Willow: FF does fascinate me…..but he is sooooo naughty..sometimes veeeery nasty…..his antics and public character reminds me of the ex-Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi – who, believe it or not, may win the next election (remember all the girl-friends and financial irregularities)? AND he’s 81 years old…blimey. My Italian friends are packing….


the_mind_reels Says:

In his defense, Jarry was playing absolutely lights-out tennis for the first set, so I’m not sure anybody would have fared much better than Fognini did to start things off. The clay in São Paolo was playing blazingly quick, it seemed! Congrats to Fabio on his return to winner’s circle.


lylenubbins Says:

I have seen Fabio play a bunch of times. The guy has the ability to pull out matches it seems like he will surely lose. Also his strokes have very short backswing and he is able to deal with players you would think would hit him off the court. Overall, a special player.


Humble Rafa Says:

Overall, a special player.

I am sure you are also very impressed with his vocabulary. He can describe everything a woman does (but does not like verbalized) into poetry.


j-kath Says:

Humble Rafa: While I agree with your displeasure re. Fabio, I am more impressed that you have changed personality – your style of writing and range of comments
have changed. My simple mind seeks an explanation????


Humble Rafa Says:

Simple minds don’t seek explanations.

Too much time on my hands. Don’t know what to do these days. Will be back in form the FO.


Willow Says:

And to think the stick that Berdych has had on this forum over the years, yet FF says something like this and people completely wash it over ….


j-kath Says:

HR: I am so sorry that I have a simple mind – but I thought that U of all people would be able to respond sympathetically.


Chris Ford Says:

It’s hard not to like Fabio – he is a brilliant, special player when he is in the zone. He’s beaten Rafa in 2 classics inc. the US Open where Nadal was actually playing his A game. Fognini was just better. He’s both a bad boy lout and someone that can be awesomely funny and appealing to the crowd to meltdown material. A nicer Nastase, so to speak. And clearly a female fan favorite as well as..a few gal players..one was a keeper. Flavia Pannetta happily sticking with him and having his kid is probably the best argument why Fog isn’t a bad guy.


Chris Ford Says:

Willow’s right. For years some fans & blogs were down on Tomas, then found a whole new guy on Twitter. Not the one they thought they disliked based on the little they had of his thoughts and actions in the rest of his life.
There should be some very interesting books written on the guy’s side of tennis after the Big 4 and many of their interesting fellow players leave active status for good and enough time causes the NDAs to expire.


Humble Rafa Says:

I am very Humble. No expiration of NDA will change that.

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