TennisSection previews the 2022 French Open as Fabio Fognini takes on Alexei Popyrin in the first round on Sunday, May 22nd, 2022.
Fabio Fognini will face off against another Australian in the form of Alexei Popyrin at the French Open. Last week’s surprise defeat in Geneva to Thanasi Kokkinakis has raised doubts on whether Fognini might be struggling with confidence. So could Popyrin take advantage?
It is not of great surprise that Fabio Fognini’s best results this season have all come on his beloved clay courts. Semifinal runs in Rio and Belgrade were sufficient to keep his ranking afloat and within touching distance of the world’s Top 50. It took some of the best players in the men’s tennis to stop him. Half of his seven defeats on clay have come against Top 10 players, which is why his first-round exit in Geneva against Thanasi Kokkinakis raised a few eyebrows. The Aussie had only played one match on the dirt prior to last week and Fognini was the overwhelming favorite in that matchup. So can Fognini atone for that mishap?
Another Australian waits. Alexei Popyrin fits the mould when it comes to the dangerous floaters in the men’s draw at the 2022 French Open. He is a player with a mammoth first serve, a reliable forehand and who can finish off points on his own. But on clay, it will be tough to integrate all those ingredients as the surface generally weakens his biggest assets. The World No. 103 has tallied a five-match win streak in his last tournament where he won the Bordeaux Challenger.
Fabio Fognini leads Alexei Popyrin 1-0 in their head-to-head. That solitary meeting took place on the indoor hard courts of Basel in 2019, when Popyrin was still a rookie on the main tour. Two weeks ago Fognini would have been the outright pick in this matchup (he still is), but a lot has changed. Popyrin has put together a fine run on the clay courts of Bordeaux where he picked up the title by knocking off a long list of clay court campaigners. Fognini, for his part, has suffered a damaging defeat in Geneva. But I think that was just a blip in what has been a slightly decent clay season for the mercurial Italian. If he brings his A-game at the French Open, he should be able to navigate past Popyrin.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Fabio Fognini to win in four sets.
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