TennisSection previews the 2021 Acapulco Open as Fabio Fognini (6) meets Stefano Travaglia in the First Round on Tuesday March 16th, 2021.
Can sixth seeded Fabio Fognini build on the momentum that he has gained after a slow start to the year? Or will his unseeded countryman Stefano Travaglia turn his poor form around and cause the upset here at the 2021 Acapulco Open? This is an “All-Italian” showdown between two men in vastly different form of late. Who will get the win and advance to the Round of 16 here in Mexico?
Fabio Fognini is currently ranked #18 and is one of the flashiest players on the ATP Tour. Filled with bags of talent, he is also one of the most unpredictable players on tour, and it is impossible to know which version of Fognini will show up. His track record speaks for itself, with numerous top 10 losses, but also quite a lot of losses to lower-ranked players. He started his 2021 season poorly, losing in the Second Round in Antalya. He has since turned his season around with some amazing performances to carry Italy to the ATP Cup Final, and a good showing at the Australian Open where he reached the Fourth Round. The Italian is very strong from the Baseline, using controlled aggression to dominate his opponents. While he enters this match against Stefano Travalia as the favorite, it won’t be easy here at the 2021 Acapulco Open.
Stefano Travaglia has had a very different start to his season than Fabio Fognini. The 68th ranked Italian started the year with a bang, reaching the Quarter-Finals in Antalya and then the Final at the Great Ocean Road Event in Adelaide. However, his form has spectacularly fallen off since, with three consecutive First-Round losses. While he knows his opponent very well, having defeated him twice before, his confidence will surely be low and it will be difficult for him here at the 2021 Acapulco Open. This is the first time that the Italian has played this event, and he will be hoping that it will be the springboard to getting his season back on track.
This will be the third meeting between the two Italians, with Travaglia leading the head to head series 2-0, one of those meetings being on hard courts. However, that meeting was back in 2017 so should not really have much bearing on this matchup at the 2021 Acapulco Open. While Stefano Travaglia has never lost to Fognini, they are in very different form at the moment so Fognini has to be heavily favored here. It is difficult to back Fognini as he is so unpredictable, but he is on a roll recently and when his confidence is high, he is capable of beating even the best in the world. It certainly won’t be easy, but expect Fabio Fognini to get the win here, and advance to the Round of 16 here in Mexico.
Free Tennis Preview and Prediction: Fabio Fognini to win
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