Fabio Fognini came back from 1-2 down on sets to beat his compatriot Salvatore Caruso in an epic all-Italian five-set second round clash by the scoreline of 4-6 6-2 2-6 6-3 7-6 (14-12).
Caruso earned the first break in the seventh game to take a 4-3 lead and went down 0-40, as he was serving at 5-4, but he won five consecutive points to close out the opening set 6-4 after 38 minutes.
Fognini won 12 of the first 17 points and broke in the second game to open a 3-0 lead. Caruso did not convert two break-back points. Fognini opened up a 4-1 lead and won the final eight points to seal the 35-minute second set 6-2.
Caruso earned an immediate break at love in the first game of the third set and won seven consecutive points, but he had to save a break-back point in the fourth game. The Sicilian player earned a double beak to open up a 4-1 lead and held his next service games to close out the the 40-lminute third set 6-2.
Caruso saved a break point in the second game of the fourth set. Fognini converted a break point in the sixth game at 30-40 to open up a 4-2 lead and won his next service games to close out the fourth set 6-3 in 37 minutes.
Fognini did not convert a total of four break points in the seventh and eleventh games of a thrilling fifth-set. The match came down to a 10-point tie-break. Fognini earned an early mini-break but Caruso won five consecutive points to take a 5-1 lead. Fognini pulled back both break points to draw level to 5-5. Caruso won two consecutive points to take a 7-5 lead. Fognini bounced back by winning three consecuive points to take a 8-7 lead. Fognini saved a match point at 10-11 and got the crucial mini-break at 12-12 with cross-court backhand passing shot winner to earn his fourth match point. Fognini fired a serve out wide to seal the win in 3 hours and 56 minutes.
Fognini holds a 3-0 winning record in Match Tie-breaks at the Australian Open. He scored his previous two wins in his first two matches at last year’s Australian Open against Reilly Opelka and Jordan Thompson en route to reaching the fourth round.
Fognini set up a third-round match against two-time Next Gen ATP Finals champion Alex De Minaur, who beat Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas 6-3 6-3 7-5.
“I am tired as I was fighting for every point. I had chances in the fifth set, two at 15-40 in the seventh and eleventh games. I played one really bad, then the other he served well. I was lucky in the Match Tie-break. When you play against a compatriot, it’s always tough. I gave everything until the end. I was 1-5 down, then he played two bad points. At 5-5, anything was possible and I held on”, said Fognini.
