Italian Open 2024: Taylor Fritz vs Fabio Fognini; Preview, Head-to-Head, Prediction

The 2024 Italian Open steps into the round of 64 as several players have been eliminated. Taylor Fritz, who received a bye in the first round, will begin his stint in the tournament against Fabio Fognini. The American player has had a surprisingly good run on the clay swing this season and looks to continue it into the Rome Masters.

Fognini, on the other hand, is out of his prime and struggling to win more than one match in the main draw of most tournaments this season. The clay swing has not fared any better for him, and his next opponent will make it even more difficult. 

Taylor Fritz vs Fabio Fognini: Preview

Fritz reached the semifinal of the Madrid Open while only dropping one set on the way. He couldn’t go past the eventual champion, Andrey Rublev. Even though he lost 6-4, 6-3, he showed a fantastic performance. The former number 5 hit 7 aces and had no double faults. He won 69% of points on the first serve and 57% on the second serve. He could only take 1 breakpoint, with 17 return points won, along with 16 winners. 

Fognini began his Italian Open stint with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 win over Daniel Evans. Fognini hit 3 aces and 7 double faults and won 73% of points on first serves, with 50% on second serves. Both had the chance to break each other 12 times, but the Italian managed to attain 6 break points, while Evans stopped at 4. Fognini further won 44 receiving points and hit 29 winners with 40 unforced errors. 

Fritz vs Fognini: Head-to-Head

Taylor Fritz and Fabio Fognini have played against each other twice on the ATP Tour. Their first match came in the 2018 Chengdu Open semifinal. Fognini won 6-7, 6-0, 6-3. They would then meet a year later in the 2019 Los Cabos Open, where Fritz would achieve his victory 6-1, 7-6. Their last match was played 5 years ago, which does not give any insight into their clash on clay in 2024.

Prediction: Fritz to win over the local 

Fognini has performed well in the past. However, his past self and his current self are far apart. On the other hand, Fritz has shown some fantastic performances on clay this season, with a final run in the Bavarian International and a semifinal run in Madrid. He is set to take the in from his Italian opponent as the momentum lies completely on his side.

Fritz can easily make the game physical, troubling his Italian opponent. His serve can also be a powerful weapon against Fognini, who has not attained more than one win in any clay tournament he has played this year. Fognini can win the battle if he manages to wear down Fritz with the help of the crowd, but the chances are rather minute. The American player is set to move ahead to the round of 32.