Italian top player Fabio Fognini edged 36-year-old French veteran Julien Benneteau 3-6 6-2 6-1 4-6 6-3 on the Hisense Arena after a three-hour battle to join his compatriot Andreas Seppi in the fourth round at the Australian Open in Melbourne. Two Italian players have not reached the Round of 16 in the same Grand Slam tournamentt since the times of tennis legends Adriano Panatta and Corrado Barazzutti at Roland Garros in 1976. Fognini has equaled the best result of his career achieved in Melbourne four years ago.
Italy had to wait 42 years to see two players reach the fourth round of the same Grand Slam tournament. The last time that two Italian players reached the Round of 16 stage of a Major dates back to 1976, when Adriano Panatta and Corrado Barazzutti advanced to the second week at Roland Garros. That year Panatta won the French Open title, while Barazzutti lost to Guillermo Vilas in three sets in the Round of 16.
In this year’s edition Fabio Fognini and Andreas Seppi have advanced to the second week of the same Grand Slam tournament. Fognini equaled his best result in Melbourne by reaching the Round of 16 for the second time in his career. Seppi has reached the fourth round in Melbourne for the fourth time in his career.
Benneteau, who beat Fognini in their only previous head-to-head match at Wimbledon in 2010, got an early break in the second game to open up a 3-0 lead. Fognini saved a double break point in the fourth game. Benneteau did not drop a first serve point until the seventh game. Fognini saved another break point in the sixth game. Benneteau saved a break point and held his final service game to seal the openining set 6-3.
In the second set Fognini saved a break point and held his first service game. He got his first break in the fourth game to open up a 3-1 lead and consolidated it after saving a break-back point. The set went on serve in the next games. Fognini held his serve without facing any break points in the seventh game for 5-2 and sealed the second set by 6-2 with a break at love.
Fognini was on fire and earned a break in the second game to race out to a 3-0 lead. He went up a double break at 15 in the sixth game to take the third set 6-1.
The fourth set went on serve until the seventh game. Benneteau converted on his second break point chance in the eighth game to take a 5-3 lead. Fognini broke straight back in the ninth game for 4-5, but Benneteau got another break at 15 to close out the fourth set 6-4 after Fognini made a backhand unforced error.
Fognini held his serve in the second game at deuce with a forehand winner to draw level to 1-1 in the fifth set. Both players went on serve until the fifth game when Fognini broke serve at 15 with a forehand to take a 3-2 lead. The Italian player held his serve in the eighth game at 30 before wrapping up the match by 6-3 with a double break on his first match point thanks to a forehand volley.
Fognini reached the fourth round in Melbourne for the second time in his career four years after losing at this stage of the tournament against Novak Djokovic.
Fognini set up a fourth round match against twice Australian Open semifinalist Tomas Berdych, who beat Juan Martin Del Potro in straight sets. Fognini and Berdych have tied 2-2 in their four head-to-head matches. Berdych won twice in the 2011 US Open and in Rome 2015. Fognini prevailed over his Czech rival twice in Monte-Carlo in 2009 and 2013.
“I am happy because at the end I won. It was a tough match. I think he started really well. In the second and third set I played unbelievable. I think the fourth was the worst set that I played. I am happy the way I was playing. It’s the second time here that I reach the fourth round. I was telling the last day it was always difficult to play for me here, so I am really happy. I have not changed my personality on the court. I am still the same. Even if I do something well, something wrong, I am still the same Fabio that everybody knows. “, said Fognini.
