The duel of opposites

Of course it wasn't a formality, but it still had this appearance: This is what is meant First round victory by Jannik Sinner over Pedro Martinez from Spain, who made the duel with Fognini perfect. A duel that the tennis nation Italy had been looking forward to since the draw on Friday. Not least because this had never happened before - and Sinner and Fognini are now the only athletes from the boot state who won their opening match in Rome.

The calm Sinner and the eccentric Fognini are fundamentally different in character, but on the tennis court they have two characteristics in common. Both have an extremely solid backhand, and footwork is also a strength of both. Nevertheless, their playing style cannot be compared at all: Sinner exerts more pressure overall and has clear advantages when it comes to serves and forehands. Fognini's sensitivity and defensive skills, on the other hand, are to be valued more highly. The husband of former US Open champion Flavia Pennetta loves playing on the red clay, while Sinner has achieved his greatest successes to date on hard courts.

Fabio Fognini is the favorite of the public in Italy. © ANSA / ETTORE FERRARI

“He is the upcoming star from Italy, I would be very happy to be able to compete with him,” said Fognini after his opening win on Monday against Dominic Thiem. Sinner also can hardly wait to cross the bat with the 35-year-old for the first time: “It will definitely be a very difficult match. I met Fabio at the Davis Cup, where he gave me tips. It's our first game, I'm looking forward to it," says Sinner, who expressed a wish after his interview on the pitch. “Fabio made history at this tournament, but I hope that the spectators will support us equally.”

Who the sympathies ultimately belong to will become clear from 19 p.m. when the match begins at the “Centrale” in the Foro Italico in Rome in front of a sold-out house, i.e. around 10.500 spectators.

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The duel of opposites

Composure versus temperament, hard worker versus sloppy genius, youngster versus veteran. Or simply: Jannik Sinner against Fabio Fognini. This hotly anticipated duel will take place on Wednesday at the Masters 1000 tournament in Rome.

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