\n
\nROME: Fabio Fognini edged fellow 35-year-old Andy Murray in a nearly three-hour battle in the opening round of the Italian Open on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\nGiven a wild card entry after a month out with an injured foot, Fognini hit more than twice as many winners as Murray (49-24) in a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win on Campo Centrale.<\/p>\n
\nMurray was coming off his first title in three years after he won an ATP Challenger event in southern France over the weekend for his first tournament victory since 2019 \u2014 and first on clay since 2016.<\/p>\n
\nBut Fognini\u2019s crafty shot-making proved the difference as the Italian produced a series of drop-shot winners that were so effective Murray didn\u2019t even attempt to run them down.<\/p>\n
\nMurray was also left fuming after protesting a linesman\u2019s call late in the first set, which gave Fognini a 5-3 advantage. Murray pointed to the mark on the red clay and told the chair umpire that it was clearly out.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cHow can you see that ball from there being in? How is it possible?\u201d Murray said. \u201cYou know you got that wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nAfter the match was over, Murray had more words for the chair umpire, while Fognini wrote on a camera lens, \u201cIt\u2019s not over.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI still like playing these type of matches,\u201d said Fognini, who improved to 5-4 in his career against Murray, the 2016 champion in Rome.<\/p>\n
\nAnother veteran who advanced earlier was Stan Wawrinka, who wasted little time securing a 6-2, 6-4 win over Ilya Ivashka after the start of play was delayed for 90 minutes due to rain.<\/p>\n
\nAt age 38, Wawrinka is the oldest man in the tournament but he dominated Ivashka by also hitting more than twice as many winners as his opponent to close it out in little more than an hour.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThis year I am playing much better, but I need to win more matches. That is what I am missing a bit, the confidence to win more matches,\u201d said Wawrinka, who had two surgeries on his left foot in 2021 and two operations on his left knee in 2017. \u201cBut in general the level is great.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nWawrinka, a three-time Grand Slam champion, next faces 26th-seeded Grigor Dimitrov, with the winner potentially meeting top-ranked Novak Djokovic in the third round.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cMy dream is to win another trophy, another tournament,\u201d Wawrinka said. \u201cOf course I\u2019m getting older, it\u2019s getting more and more difficult. The passion and the love for the sport is still there; that\u2019s why I keep pushing myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nDjokovic, who has a first-round bye, will open against Tomas Martin Etcheverry, who advanced with a 7-6 (7), 6-3 win over 18-year-old Luca Van Assche, the youngest player in the top 100 of the rankings at No. 85.<\/p>\n
\nEtcheverry reached clay finals in Santiago, Chile, and Houston earlier this year.<\/p>\n
\nAlso advancing on the red clay of the Foro Italico were Alexander Bublik, Cristian Garin, Marton Fucsovics and Sebastian Baez.<\/p>\n
\nAustralian qualifier Thanasi Kokkinakis was leading Jaume Munar 4-2 in the first set when his Spanish opponent retired due to lower back pain.<\/p>\n
\nKokkinakis will next face local favorite Jannik Sinner.<\/p>\n
\nArthur Fils, another rising 18-year-old French player, beat fellow qualifier Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 for his first Masters 1000 victory, setting up a meeting with Holger Rune.<\/p>\n
\nWu Yibing of China rallied past French veteran Richard Gasquet 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 for his first tour win on clay.<\/p>\n
\nIn women\u2019s action, Lesia Tsurenko eliminated two-time champion Elina Svitolina in all-Ukrainian matchup.<\/p>\n
\nSloane Stephens beat Nadia Podoroska 6-4, 6-1 and next meets 14th-seeded Victoria Azarenka.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
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