That was one of the most uncharacteristic matches you could ever expect.
The first set was unwatchable. Fognini couldn’t give anything to win only 6 points and the opener in 17 minutes. The weird stuff is that this freak result (talking about the timing) didn’t come from Nole, that wasn’t playing at his best, but from a complete incapacity from Fognini to play.
The opening set was so strange that Nole couldn’t even warm up and when Fognini started to play a decent tennis in the second, it was time for Nole to struggle. The Serb couldn’t sustain a normal rally to lose the second set 5-7.
The third set was a bit more “characteristic” as Nole reached a decent standard to easily win 6-2.
From Nole
“Mentally I was there,” commented the world on.1 . “Confidence level is high obviously because of the run I had this year. Game wise, everything works. I had a very bad game at 4-2, couple of unforced errors, got him back in the match. Next thing you know, we’re one set all and a couple of tight games.
“But look, I’m not concerned. I know I have been in this situation before where I had minor setbacks in a match, especially in the opening matches where I’m trying to get used to the court, the conditions, and so forth. He’s a good player on this surface. He loves playing on slow surfaces. He made me work. He made me earn my points. In the end, I have done what I needed to do. The W is there, so I feel good about myself.”
Next with Dimitrov
Nole will play Dimitrov in the third round. Head to head is 1-0 for Nole that won 6-3 6-2 in Shanghai 2012 (2nd round)
