Fognini outlasts Thiem in Rome
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Fabio Fognini got the Foro Italico crowd fired up yesterday with a 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 win over sixth-seeded Dominic Thiem in the second round of the Italian Open.
The top Italian player came out wearing a black shirt with a red lightning bolt design down his chest and he was energized from the start, grazing the flower beds lining the court to return Thiem鈥檚 heavily angled shots and frustrating the Austrian with well-placed lobs and touch volleys.
鈥淚 played very well today,鈥 said Thiem, who beat Rafael Nadal in the Madrid Open semifinals last week. 鈥淚t was just him, he was very pumped playing at home.鈥
While Fognini drop-kicked his racket onto the court in Rome after a miss early in the third set, it was Thiem who ultimately lost his cool. In the final game, Thiem smashed his racket into a mangled wreck and handed it to a befuddled fan in the front row.
When Thiem netted a service return two points later to end it, the White Stripes鈥 Seven Nation Army was blasted over the stadium sound system and the crowd began singing along in an atmosphere that more closely resembled a soccer game than a tennis match.
鈥淭he Italian crowd is great,鈥 Thiem said. 鈥淚 was expecting it that way so it was completely fine. It was fun to play with that atmosphere. ... It鈥檚 a loss which is not too painful, which is just motivating me for the next weeks.鈥
Also on the red clay of the Foro Italico, Albert Ramos-Vinolas of Spain rallied to beat eighth-seeded American John Isner 6-7 (5), 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5).
In women鈥檚 action, Simona Halep routed Japan鈥檚 Naomi Osaka 6-1, 6-0 for the first of two wins she needs this week to hold on to the No. 1 ranking.
The Romanian needs to reach at least the quarterfinals or risk losing the top spot to Dane Caroline Wozniacki.
It was a sharp turnaround for Halep from when Osaka lost only three games against her in the Indian Wells semifinals in March 鈥 when Osaka went on to win her first career title.
Osaka wasted four break points and a chance to take a 2-0 lead in the first set, then lost 11 straight games.
鈥淔or some reason, I couldn鈥檛 get a ball in the court after that, on my backhand side,鈥 Osaka said. 鈥淎nd she was playing very solid. And I knew she knew I couldn鈥檛 hit a backhand, so we were just having backhand rallies.鈥
On Halep鈥檚 first match point, the 21st-ranked Osaka didn鈥檛 even make a move for Halep鈥檚 return of her second serve.
鈥淚鈥檓 not that disappointed with this match, despite the score,鈥 Osaka said. 鈥淚 feel like she鈥檚 the No. 1 player in the world and she鈥檚 great on clay. And I think it was harder than what the score showed.鈥
Last year in Rome, Halep rolled her ankle in the final and lost a lead and the title to Ukraine鈥檚 Elina Svitolina.
Also, US Open champion Sloane Stephens held off a comeback from Estonian qualifier Kaia Kanepi in a 6-0, 5-7, 6-4 victory; seventh-seeded Caroline Garcia of France defeated Hungary鈥檚 Timea Babos 6-3, 6-4; and 14th-seeded Daria Kasatkina of Russia eliminated American qualifier Danielle Collins 6-2, 6-3.
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