Andy Murray recovered from the brink of a shock loss to overcome Fabio Fognini 6-1, 2-6, 6-3, in a roller coaster two-hour marathon at the Olympic Games.
It was expected that the defending champion would face his biggest test so far in the third round against Fognini, however, the start to the match was the complete opposite. The world No.2 dictated proceedings throughout the opening set against his erratic Italian opponent.
Murray sealed his first break when a long exchange between the two resulted in a Fognini backhand error. Proceedings worsen for Italian fans when Murray secured a double break for 4-0 after four consecutive errors from his rival. It wasn’t until the sixth game that Murray encountered his first test. Racing to two set point chances after 22 minutes of play, he was denied the bagel set as Fognini admirably battle back to get on the scoreboard, producing glimpses of the tennis which has brought him four ATP titles. Despite Fognini’s late surge in form, there was no denying Murray as he closed the proceedings out with only his third winner of the match.
To the delight of the Brazilian crowd, the one-sided match came to the end in the second set as Murray was forced to experience what it is like to play a vintage Fognini. Initially breaking for a set and 2-1 lead, the Brit encountered his first blip with his opponent fighting back by winning two consecutive games for the first time in the match. The dramatic momentum shift continued as Fognini eased to a 5-2 lead against the defending champion, who struggled to keep his error count down. The comeback was sealed after Fognini produced a world-class passing shot to clinch the middle set to force a decider.
Facing to prospect of a shock Olympic loss, Murray trailed 0-3 in the final set as he struggled to tame the world No.40. Despite Fognini’s dominance, consisting of winning eight consecutive games, he knew that a repeat of his form of the first set could be costly. This proved to be the case as back-to-back errors from the Italian allowed Murray break back and eventually level 3-3 in another dramatic turn of events. Murray’s momentum was back as he overpowered a once again erratic Fognini to secure another break. The scare was over as the world No.2 eased to a game away from the victory. Capitalising on the dramatic collapse of Fognini’s mentality, the Brit completed his comeback after error No.48 from his opponent.
The reward for Murray’s thrilling win will be a quarter-final clash with America’s Steve Johnson, who Evgeny Donskoy 6-1, 6-1. He will be eager to work on his game ahead of that match. Against Fognini, Murray produced only 14 winners compared to 37 unforced errors.
Bellucci shines as Del Potro matches on
Elsewhere at the Olympic Tennis Centre, arguably the most special story on day six of the men’s tournament was Thomaz Bellucci’s fairytale win over David Goffin. Playing in front of his home crowd, the world No.54 secured the memorable win 7-6(10), 6-4.
“It’s been very special, a lot of affection from the public.” Bellucci said about playing in Rio.
“The best atmospheres I’ve ever played in during my career, five, seven thousand people supporting me, it’s very motivating to know they are supporting me regardless of whether I go out with victory or defeat.”
Bellucci’s win has set him up with a mouthwatering clash with Rafael Nadal, a player who he is yet to win a set against in his career.
2012 bronze medallist Juan Martin del Potro continued his dream Olympic run with a 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-2, dismissal of Japan’s Taro Daniel. The former US Open champion fired 16 aces and 43 winners during his latest triumph. In the quarter-finals, he will play Spanish 10th seed Roberto Bautista Agut.
“I am looking forward to going far, but it will be tough against Bautista Agut. He is fast from the baseline and plays well on this surface,” said del Potro about the upcoming match.
Finally, Kei Nishikori defeated Slovakia’s Andrej Martin 6-2, 6-2. He will face either Gael Monfils or Marin Cilic in the last eight.
