At 37, Fabio Fognini (94th in the world) has stiffer legs than ever. But that has always been the trademark of a very personal gesture. And if he often hits with his legs straight, his arm is no less lively. Sporting a blond dye that is at least astonishing, the Italian proved that he still has some good left. No luck, it was Luca Van Assche (104th) who was on the other side of the net.
Drafted after losing his last round match in qualifying against Lucas Pouille due to Dominik Koepfer’s withdrawal, the Frenchman was well and truly in the main draw at Wimbledon. While every experience is good to take, this one risks being ruminated on a bit before assimilation.
Indeed, Van Assche quickly took on water at the start of the match. After a first break due to very good returns, Fognini rolled through the first set. If Van Assche was more present in the second, he still had no opportunity to derail an Italian who was sure of his actions.
Fognini closes the game
Broken at the start of the third set, Van Assche was off to a bad start. He lacked that little extra aggressiveness to make Fognini doubt who really didn’t look his age. Van Assche, however, managed to break the break to go in front (5-4) and force Fognini to serve to stay in the set. The Italian closed the game to equalize at 5-5. Behind, he was more aggressive, especially when coming to the net, to once again take the opponent’s serve. Behind, he was untouchable, closing the match with a winning forehand. Once again hit with very stiff legs.
