Estoril Open 2023: Fognini vs Giannessi Prediction, Odds & Pick

TennisSection previews the 2023 Estoril Open first-round match featuring Fabio Fognini vs Alessandro Giannessi on Monday, April 3, 2023.

Fognini vs Giannessi Match Preview

It’s an all-Italian clash at the Estoril Open pitting Fabio Fognini against Alessandro Giannessi. Both countrymen love the clay, so who will prevail?

At 35, and cascading down the rankings, the wheels are rapidly coming off Fabio Fognini. The 33-year-old is clearly not the force he was once, having won just one match all season. Ironically, Fognini’s best display this season came in the three-set defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in Rio, where he played some high-quality tennis and just ran out of gas in the end against the tireless young Spaniard. With the clay-court swing beginning in earnest at the Estoril Open, the Italian veteran will have the chance to showcase his craft on his beloved surface. But can he get past Alessandro Giannessi?

Alessandro Giannessi has worked his way into the main draw of the Estoril Open by winning a couple of qualifying matches at the weekend. He was able to defeat Fabio Marozsan in a tug of war on Sunday, exacting revenge on his loss to the Hungarian in Antalya. Giannessi, like Fognini, makes his living on the red clay and is a solid Challenger-level campaigner.

Fognini vs Giannessi Prediction and Pick

Fabio Fognini leads Alessandro Giannessi 2-0 in their head-to-head. They last played in 2017 in Sao Paulo where Fognini won two tiebreak sets. Giannessi has outperformed his more accomplished countryman this season – albeit at the Challenger level where he has a 15-6 record on the dirt including a title win in Zadar. If you’re looking to oppose Fognini here with the slightly safer option, look out for the Giannessi set handicap with the former top tenner recording just one win all season and hardly looking competitive. For a riskier pick, we fancy the upset from the Italian lefty.