Italian Open 2022: Jannik Sinner vs Fabio Fognini preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match details
Fixture: (10) Jannik Sinner vs Fabio Fognini
Date: 11 May 2022
Tournament: Italian Open
Round: Second round (Round of 32)
Venue: Rome, Italy
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Clay
Prize money: €5,415,410
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Sports18 & Voot
Jannik Sinner vs Fabio Fognini preview
The second round of the 2022 Italian Open will witness home favorites Jannik Sinner and Fabio Fognini lock horns in a highly-anticipated encounter on Wednesday.
Sinner, the 10th seed, opened his campaign with a straight-sets win over Pedro Martinez. Although he has recorded victories over the likes of Andrey Rublev and Alex de Minaur this season, the Italian is yet to make it to the business end of a claycourt tournament.
Fognini, meanwhile, suffered early exits in both Monte Carlo and Madrid. The veteran did, however, stage a strong run at the Serbia Open, reaching the semifinals by beating Marco Cecchinato, Aljaz Bedene and Oscar Otte.
His gutsy win over Dominic Thiem in the opening round in Rome (his first since 2019) would have also given him plenty of confidence heading into Wednesday's clash.
Jannik Sinner vs Fabio Fognini head-to-head
This will be the first career meeting between Fognini and Sinner, so their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.
Jannik Sinner vs Fabio Fognini odds
(All odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Jannik Sinner vs Fabio Fognini prediction
Jannik Sinner isn't the most comfortable on clay as his power-packed game is better suited for faster surfaces. That said, he has had his fair share of success on the red dirt.
The youngster looked in complete control in his first-round contest against Martinez. His aggressive baseline hitting overpowered the Spaniard. But against a solid counterpuncher in the form of Fognini, Sinner cannot afford to feed his opponent with too much pace.
Fognini's short backswings enable him to redirect pace effortlessly. His movement on clay is another asset and he will look to extend rallies and frustrate Sinner into overpressing.
Fognini is unlikely to go down without a fight, but if Sinner can continue playing with measured aggression and not give away too many free points, he should be able to eke out a win.
Pick: Jannik Sinner to win in three sets