By Chris Oddo | Wednesday October 19, 2016
Fabio Fognini took out Paolo Lorenzi in three sets to reach the quarterfinals at the Kremlin Cup.
Photo Source: Kremlin Cup
Fabio Fognini won a battle of the top two Italians in Moscow to advance to the quarterfinals of the Kremlin Cup on Wednesday. Fognini took out No.7-seeded Paolo Lorenzi, 7-5, 4-6, 6-1, avenging a loss on the Monte-Carlo clay from earlier this season.
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Fognini won 30 of 50 points against Lorenzi’s second serve and broke five times on ten opportunities, including twice in the deciding set, to clinch his 11th hardcourt win of the season against nine losses.
It has been a fantastic year for Lorenzi, who has reached five quarterfinals and won the Kitzbuhel title in 2016, but Fognini pounced on his opportunity reach his fifth quarterfinal of 2016.
Elsewhere in Moscow, 19-year-old Sasha Bublik (world No.286) got his first ATP win by defeating compatriot Konstantin Kravchuk, 1-6, 6-3, 6-3, while 20-year-old wild card Karen Khachanov fell to Damir Dzumhur, 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4. Khachanov, who won the Chengdu title a week ago, failed to serve out the match in the second set twice and then blew a 4-0 lead in the second-set tiebreaker before losing in three sets to the World No.95.
No.8-seeded Andrey Kuznetsov was also a winner on Wednesday in Moscow. The World No.45 defeated Argentina’s Guido Pella, 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, to set up a second-round battle with Thomaz Bellucci.
36-year-old Frenchman Stephane Robert also booked his spot in the quarterfinals, 7-5, 6-1 over Lukas Rosol.
It is Robert’s second quarterfinal of the season.