The veteran Fabio Fognini will take on the 20-year-old Jack Draper in the round of 32 of the Winston-Salem Open.
The Italian has won 15 out of the 31 matches he has played thus far in 2022. His form has been inconsistent this season. The bright spots were his outings at the Serbia Open and the Rio Open, where he progressed to the semifinals. The World No. 61 came into this tournament on the back of a disappointing Cincinnati Masters campaign where he progressed from the qualifiers but couldn’t go beyond the second round of the main draw.
In his first match in the Winston-Salem Open, Fognini defeated Dusan Lajovic in straight sets 7-5, 7-5. This was the second time the 35-year-old defeated Lajovic in as many meetings.
The 20-year-old received a bye in the opening round. The 13th seed reached his first ATP 1000 quarterfinal at the Canadian Open. He has won 11 matches and lost 7 in 2022.
Draper has picked up huge victories against Stefanos Tstsipas and Jannik Sinner. Both of them are considered two of the better tennis players in the world at the moment. Draper will have a different challenge now in the form of the experienced Fognini.
The head-to-head scoreline between Jack Draper and Fabio Fognini currently stands at 0-0 as the two players have not faced each other before.
The match should be an exciting one. Fognini might just use his experience to get the better of the youngster.
Prediction: Fabio Fognini to win in three sets.
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