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Wimbledon ATP
- Official Site
- Order of Play
- Singles Draw
- Singles Qualifiers Draw
- Doubles Draw
- Doubles Qualifiers Draw
- Live Scores
Wimbledon WTA
- Official Site
- Order of Play
- Singles Draw
- Singles Qualifiers Draw
- Doubles Draw
- Doubles Qualifiers Draw
- Live Scores
Wimbledon Other
- Mixed Doubles Draw
- Juniors Draw
- Wheelchair Draw
- Live Scores
By Alberto Amalfi

(June 22, 2010) Fabio Fognini speaks four languages and has become fluent in the art of the major upset.

The 80th-ranked Fognini scored the biggest win of his career in surprising a weary Fernando Verdasco, 7-6(9), 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-4 to advance to the Wimbledon second round for the second straight year.

It marked the second consecutive Grand Slam upset for the 23-year-old Italian, who upset former French Open semifinalist Gael Monfils
2-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 9-7, in last month's marathon match to reach the Roland Garros third round for the first time.

The eighth-seeded Verdasco, who had reached the round of 16 in each of the last two years at The Championships, is the highest-seeded man to exit the draw.

Fognini will face American Michael Russell for a spot in the third round in a battle of two of the shortest man still standing in the darw. The 5-foot-8 Russell defeated Pere Riba-Madrid, 6-3, 7-6(1), 2-6, 7-6(1) to register his first career Wimbledon win. 

FabioFogniniCostantini

Russell and Fognini have faced off once before with Russell pulling out a five-set win in the first round of the 2008 Australian Open.

Fognini took the court today with just eight wins on the season, but two of them came at Roland Garros. A relaxed player who looks so casual on court it sometimes seems Fognini is deciding whether to move while the ball is coming to him, he played solid defense and used his soft hands to neutralize Verdasco's vicious topspin forehand.

Verdasco played an arduous clay-court schedule in reaching finals in Monte Carlo and Nice and winning Barcelona. He looked listless at times today and ended the match sending successive forehands well beyond the baseline as Fognini, who was 0-5 vs. top 10 opponents last season, earned his second win over a top 15 opponent in the last month.

 

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