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Gasquet overcomes Ruud mid-afternoon

Fifth seed Fernando Verdasco is one step away from reaching the SkiStar Swedish Open final for the third time (2013, 2016) after coming through an all-Spanish encounter against Pablo Carreno Busta 6-2, 6-2 over 85 minutes on Friday.

Verdasco broke for a 3-1 lead, then saved three break points in the next game of the first set. He also broke Carreno Busta’s serve in the first and seventh games of the second set for his 20th match win of the season (20-17). “I think I played my best match so far in Bastad,” said Verdasco. “I knew it was going to be a really difficult match, as Pablo beat me in Miami this year and also in Basel a couple of years ago. "

He will now prepare to meet third-seeded Italian Fabio Fognini in Saturday's semi-finals. World No. 15 Fognini, who knocked out Federico Delbonis of Argentina 6-4, 6-3 in 81 minutes, earned his sixth ATP World Tour crown in February at the Brasil Open (d. Jarry). Verdasco leads Fognini 4-2 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series (including a 3-0 mark on clay).

Fourth-seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet defeated #NextGenATP Norwegian wild card Casper Ruud 7-6(4), 6-2 in one hour and 36 minutes. "He had some chances to break in the first set, but once I won that I was more confident," said Gasquet, who captured his 15th ATP World Tour trophy at the Libema Open (d. Chardy) last month.

Gasquet will next face Swiss lucky loser Henri Laaksonen, who recovered from 2-4 down in the deciding set to beat Simone Bolelli, an Italian qualifier, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 in one hour and 54 minutes.

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Peralta/Zeballos Reach Doubles Final
Second seeds Julio Peralta and Horacio Zeballos lost just eight of their service points to sweep past Jurgen Melzer and Philipp Petzschner 6-3, 6-2 in 53 minutes for a place in the doubles final. Peralta and Zeballos move into their eighth ATP World Tour team final (4-3). They await the winners of top seeds Max Mirnyi and Philipp Oswald versus Bolelli and Fognini.

Italian to meet Gasquet in championship match
Fabio Fognini reached his second tour-level final of the season, beating Fernando Verdasco 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 at the SkiStar Swedish Open on Saturday.

The Brasil Open champion, who will meet Richard Gasquet in Sunday's final, defeated the Spanish left-hander for the first time in four FedEx ATP Head2Head clay-court encounters (Verdasco leads overall 4-3) after two hours and 17 minutes, winning 76 per cent of second-serve return points en route to victory. Earlier this year, Fognini and Verdasco met at the same stage at the Rio Open presented by Claro, with Verdasco triumphing in straight sets.

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Fognini got off to a quick start, breaking Verdasco in three consecutive return games to take control of the semi-final encounter. But Verdasco, after making an early breakthrough in the second set, forced a decider with a third break of serve in the ninth game.

The 31-year-old Fognini twice led by a break in the third set, and despite surrendering his advantage on both occasions, eventually claimed victory. Fognini capitalised on forehand errors, either side of an aggressive foray to the net, to deny Verdasco a third opportunity to lift the trophy. The 34-year-old reached the championship match in 2013 (l. to Berlocq) and 2016 (l. to Ramos-Vinolas).

"Beating Fernando is really difficult. He is a great champion," said Fognini. "Today was a tough match, I started really well... and then after losing the first game of the second set, it was 40-0 on my serve, he was playing more confidently... At the end, I think it is a lottery."

Fognini, who owns a 30-14 record this season, will attempt to defeat Gasquet for the second time in four FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings.

Gasquet booked his place in his third tour-level final this season, cruising past Henri Laaksonen 6-2, 6-3. The fourth seed won 80 per cent of first-serve points and converted four of nine break-point chances to reach the championship match after 72 minutes.

The World No. 29, who improved to 15-15 in tour-level finals by lifting his third grass-court title at the Libema Open in June, recovered from an early break down in the second set to deny lucky loser Laaksonen a place in his first tour-level final. The Swiss 26-year-old was appearing in his second tour-level semi-final after falling to David Goffin at the final-four stage of the 2017 Shenzhen Open.

Did You Know?
En route to his sixth tour-level crown at the Brasil Open in February, Fabio Fognini ended Pablo Cuevas' 15-match win streak at the Sao Paulo-based event.

Fabio Fognini captured his second tour-level trophy of the season on Sunday, beating Richard Gasquet 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 at the SkiStar Swedish Open.

The third-seeded Italian, who lifted the Brasil Open title in February, converted five of 11 break-point chances en route to the victory. Fognini has now won seven tour-level crowns, with each of his triumphs coming at outdoor clay-court events.

"I'm tired, but happy at the same time. I played a lot of matches this week," said Fognini.

The World No. 15 improves to 7-9 in tour-level finals after securing his 31st victory in 45 matches at tour-level in 2018. Gasquet was also bidding to clinch his second ATP World Tour title of the season after winning his 15th tour-level trophy at the Libema Open in June.

"[Fabio] is a very good player. He played well and he deserved this win," said Gasquet. "It was my first time in Båstad... I am very happy to be here, finally. It is one of the best tournaments... for sure I will come back next year and try to win."

As a result of the one-hour, 47-minute win, Fognini levels his FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Gasquet at 2-2. The 31-year-old has won both of their encounters on clay, while Gasquet has emerged victorious in their two hard-court clashes.


Gasquet made the first move on a bright day on Sweden's west coast, capitalising on a series of groundstroke errors to clinch the first break of the match. But Fognini soon found his rhythm, hitting with great depth and approaching the net at times to flip the set on its head. The Italian reeled off five consecutive games to lead 5-2, before closing out the set, after 32 minutes, with a love service hold.

Three consecutive double faults from Fognini gifted Gasquet an early lead in the second set and, despite surrendering the break in the following game, the Frenchman soon re-established his advantage with strong defensive skills from the backhand corner.

"[After the second set] I was thinking there is only one set left," said Fognini. "It is me or [Gasquet], so I tried to push myself one more time to bring more good tennis and play aggressive. I think that was the key of the match, starting really solid and really aggressive at the beginning of the third set."

Consistent backhand aggression earned Fognini an immediate break of serve in the deciding set and with increased confidence in his service games, the Italian soon moved towards victory. After wearing his opponent down, in an extended rally, to earn a second break, Fognini converted his fourth championship point as Gasquet fired an aggressive forehand beyond the baseline.

Fognini receives 250 ATP Ranking points and collects €89,435 in prize money for lifting the trophy. Gasquet gains 150 points and receives €47,105.

Did You Know?
With 31 tour-level match wins already this season, Fabio Fognini is just five victories short of equalling his 2017 match-win total. The Italian ended his 2017 campaign with 36-23 tour-level record.

Italian to open his campaign against Zopp

Fabio Fognini joined his family on a trip to Eggli Alp farm in Gstaad, 1,600 metres above sea level, on Tuesday.

The defending champion, with his parents and sister, Fulvia, was initially scared to get too close to the animals, but later assisted farmer Ruedi Wehren with feeding the horses, milking the cows and preparing cheese. The Italian also took the goats outside for their evening stroll and tasted the homemade cheese.

“It is impressive to see how much farmers work,” said Fognini. “Ruedi gets up at 6:30am and works until 9pm most days. It was very interesting to see how he manages the farm and it was a great experience for me to milk the cows and spend time with the goats and the calves. They are really cute, the youngest one is only four weeks old.”

Fognini

Fognini, who beat German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann in the 2017 J. Safra Sarasin Swiss Open Gstaad final, comes into this year's ATP World Tour 250 tournament on the back of lifting his seventh ATP World Tour trophy at the SkiStar Swedish Open (d. Gasquet) on Sunday. Read Report & Watch Highlights

“I feel great at the moment and I love playing on clay,” said Fognini, who has a 21-9 record on red dirt this year (31-14 overall record). He also won Brasil Open title (d. Jarry) in early March.

Argentine to face second-seeded Fognini on Saturday
One year ago, Sam Querrey completed the 'Mexican Double', winning both ATP World Tour events held in Mexico (Acapulco and Los Cabos). After another strong performance on Friday evening at the Abierto de Tenis Mifel presentado por Cinemex, top seed Juan Martin del Potro is one victory from doing the same.

Del Potro saved set point at 5/6 in the second-set tie-break before ousting third seed Damir Dzumhur 6-3, 7-6(6), closing out the clash after one hour, 40 minutes with a thunderous inside-in forehand winner to reach the championship match in Los Cabos.

"It was a good fight from him. We played good tennis, especially in the second set," Del Potro said. "I made some mistakes in the end of the set, but then I played a smart game in the tie-break. I took my chances to win and I'm glad to reach another final this season."

The Argentine, currently No. 4 in the ATP Rankings, has already triumphed this year at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC and the BNP Paribas Open. Now, he will play second seed Fabio Fognini — against whom he owns a 1-0 FedEx ATP Head2Head series advantage — as he tries to lift three titles or more in a year for the fifth time.

"It will be tough tomorrow against Fabio," Del Potro said. "But anything can happen in the final, so I will try to do my best."


For a moment, it appeared a third set was in the cards. Del Potro, who will climb to a career-best No. 3 if Alexander Zverev loses against #NextGenATP Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Citi Open semi-finals, served for the match at 5-4 in the second set. But Dzumhur, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, began to redirect the Argentine's inside-out forehands, which were aimed at his backhand, down the line with great effect. The 26-year-old broke Del Potro for the second time in their battle to extend the match.

In the ensuing tie-break, Del Potro let slip a 5/3 advantage, double-faulting to give Dzumhur a set point. The three-time ATP World Tour champion used his opportunity by hitting a smart approach shot to the Argentine's backhand, but Del Potro laced a passing shot down the line for a winner, and he didn't stumble again.

The 29-year-old's opponent in the final, Fognini, is quietly having one of the best seasons of his career, and it's only getting better in Los Cabos. The Italian defeated Brit Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-2 on Friday to move within a win of what would also be his third ATP World Tour trophy of the season. It's a tremendous effort for his debut in the event.

"I'm really happy, for sure. I played really good tennis today. I was really solid from the baseline," Fognini said. "I'm happy to be in the final here in Los Cabos. This is my first time here, so it's not going to be the last time."



Fognini has already been victorious in Sao Paulo and Bastad this year. Not only has the 31-year-old never captured three tour-level titles in a campaign before, but he has also never won a tour-level hard-court event. Thirteen of the seven-time titlist's 16 finals have come on clay, falling short in all three of his championship matches on hard courts.

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The 5'10" right-hander, who won 48 per cent of return points in his 72-minute victory, is also nearing his career-best ATP Ranking of No. 13, which he first achieved on 31 March 2014. Regardless of the rest of the week's results, Fognini will climb to No. 14 on Monday. He'll also have an opportunity to move up even further in the weeks ahead, as he has just 55 points to defend through the US Open.

Did You Know?
Del Potro is tied for third with World No. 1 Rafael Nadal on the ATP World Tour this season with 35 match wins. Fognini is right behind them, currently in fifth with 34 match wins, while Alexander Zverev (39) and Dominic Thiem (38) lead the way.

Italian will play for his third title of 2018 on Saturday
Fabio Fognini will play top seed Juan Martin del Potro for his third title of the season on Saturday at the Abierto de Tenis Mifel presentado por Cinemex. And perhaps keeping his good-luck charm for the week will be the key.

On Monday, the Italian No. 1 posted a photo on Instagram of his new hairdo in Los Cabos. The ATP World Tour’s Instagram challenged him to maintain the interesting style throughout the week if its own post got at least 20,000 likes, which it did. The Italian agreed, and he has won every match since.

“I lost a bet with the ATP and it’s brought me luck,” Fognini said. “Of course, tomorrow I’m going to play [with my hair] like that!”

After losing his first set of the tournament against Frenchman Quentin Halys, Fognini has stormed through the field. He has won his past six sets by a margin of 6-4 or greater.

“Hopefully it will be bring me luck tomorrow in the last match here in Los Cabos,” Fognini said.

But Saturday will be Fognini’s last with his lucky hairdo. Given his streak of success you might ask a simple question: why?

“I have too much pain in my hair!”

Italian wins 12 of the final 15 games

The “Mexican Double” will have to wait till next year.

Italian Fabio Fognini stunned Juan Martin del Potro 6-4, 6-2 on Saturday to win the Abierto de Tenis Mifel presentado por Cinemex title in Los Cabos. It's Fognini's eighth ATP World Tour crown but his first on hard courts. The 31-year-old had previously triumphed only on clay.

But Fognini showed another level against Del Potro and added another accolade to what is quietly becoming one of his best years on tour. He's won three ATP World Tour titles this season (Sao Paulo, Bastad), a career best, and on Monday, Fognini is projected to rise one spot in the ATP Rankings to No. 14, only one mark off his career-high of No. 13, which he last reached more than four years ago, in April 2014.

“It's something strange because, of course, at the beginning of the week if you told me that we would be talking about titles... I am really happy, happy about this week, about my game. Of course it means a lot for me,” Fognini said.

You May Also Like: Fabio's Fabulous Hairdo Proving A Lucky Charm In Los Cabos

Del Potro won their only prior FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting (2015 Sydney) and was going for his second title in Mexico this year (Acapulco, d. Anderson). He started perfectly, leading 3-0 and having little trouble with Fognini's attempts to bring him to net with drop shots.

But Fognini settled in, defending from all parts of the court and using his forehand to push Del Potro behind the baseline. The Argentine, after a strong start, lost his way, even on his usually reliable forehand wing. Fognini returned everything and took his chances with Del Potro's second serve, winning 71 per cent of those points (15/21). The Italian won 12 of the final 15 games.

Watch Fognini's My Story

“It was a good week for me. Unfortunately, I couldn't play my best tennis in the final. But Fabio deserved to win. He played a very smart game. He took all the chances to win, and I think he's a good winner of the tournament. But in many ways I'm looking forward to keep playing better and better in the next tournaments,” Del Potro said.

Fognini will receive 250 ATP Rankings points and $127,635 in prize money; Del Potro will receive 150 ATP Rankings points and $67,220.

“It's amazing... He's one of the best players... So I am really happy about my performance,” Fognini said.

Mahut/Roger-Vasselin cruise to Metz championship match
In their maiden tour-level event as a team, Matteo Berrettini and Fabio Fognini reached their first final at the St. Petersburg Open, beating Max Mirnyi and Philipp Oswald 7-6(5), 6-3.

The Italian duo converted both their break-point opportunites to secure victory after 78 minutes, setting a championship match meeting with third seeds Roman Jebavy and Matwe Middelkoop. Jebavy and Middelkoop advanced to the final on Friday, edging past second-seeded duo Julio Peralta and Horacio Zeballos 7-6(4), 1-6, 10-8.

Berrettini and Fognini have been on a roll since dropping their first set of the tournament, winning six consecutive sets since then. Berrettini teamed with Daniele Bracciali to earn the crown in Gstaad earlier this year for his first ATP World Tour doubles victory, while Fognini owns four tour-level doubles trophies, including the 2015 Australian Open, where he partnered Simone Bolelli.

Mahut/Roger-Vasselin Cruise Into Metz Final
Home favourites Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin played to their top-seeded billing on Saturday, dropping just two games en route to the Moselle Open final.

The French pairing delighted home fans, breaking serve on six occasions to march past third seeds Wesley Koolhof and Andres Molteni 6-1, 6-1 in 51 minutes. Mahut and Roger-Vasselin will meet this year's Open Sud de France titlists, Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski, for the title. The British brothers recovered from a set down on Friday to beat Oliver Marach and Jurgen Melzer 4-6, 6-3, 10-5.

Mahut and Roger-Vasselin have claimed four tour-level titles together, including three in France in 2012. The Frenchmen triumphed in Metz that year, winning three of their four matches in straight sets. They have combined to capture 36 trophies in their careers.

Italians saved set points in both sets
In their maiden outing as a team, Matteo Berrettini and Fabio Fognini capped a memorable week at the St. Petersburg Open with a 7-6(6), 7-6(4) victory over Roman Jebavy and Matwe Middelkoop on Sunday.
The Italian duo lifted their first team title after one hour and 39 minutes, winning 69 per cent of first-serve points to overcome the defending champions in straight sets. Berrettini and Fognini were forced to save set points in both sets, at 5-6 (40/40) in the opener and at 3-5 (30/40) in the second set, before successfully navigating two tie-breaks to confirm victory.
"It was really tough, for sure," Fognini said. "I'm really happy. I think it was a really great week for us, the first time that we played together. So it's good to leave St. Petersburg with the trophy."
Berrettini has now won two tour-level doubles crowns after earning his first tour-level doubles title at the J. Safra Sarasin Swiss Open Gstaad (w/Bracciali) in July. It is Fognini's fifth tour-level doubles trophy, ending a two-year championship drought since the 2016 Shenzhen Open.
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With four service breaks in the opening six games and set-point opportunities missed by both teams, a tie-break was needed to decide the outcome of the opening set. The Italians opened up a 4/1 advantage in the set-decider and, despite failing to capitalise on two further set points at 6/4, moved one set ahead after converting their fourth opportunity.
After saving break point in the opening game of the second set, Jebavy and Middelkoop opened up a 2-0 lead with a fourth break of serve. The third seeds held two set points at 5-3 (40/30) to level the match, but consecutive errors at net rebalanced the scores.
A second tie-break was needed, and Berrettini and Fognini once again proved too strong. The Italians converted their first championship point, with a second straight big serve from Berrettini, to capture the title.
Jebavy and Middelkoop were bidding to lift their second straight St. Petersburg trophy after winning their only team title at the event last year. The third seeds also reached the championship match in Lyon this year (l. to Kyrgios/Sock).
Berrettini and Fognini receive 250 ATP Doubles Ranking points and split $63,690 in prize money for lifting the trophy. Jebavy and Middelkoop gain 150 points and share $33,480.
"For me it was my first time here in Russia, so I really enjoyed it. It's really nice here," Berrettini said. "I enjoyed this week, and I hope to come back next year."
Did You Know?
No team has managed to win back-to-back St. Petersburg Open doubles titles since the tournament began in 1995.