Geneva Open 2021: Fabio Fognini vs Guido Pella preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (6) Fabio Fognini vs Guido Pella

Date: 18 May 2021

Tournament: Gonet Geneva Open 2021

Round: First Round (Round of 32)

Venue: Geneva, Switzerland

Category: ATP 250

Surface: Red clay

Prize money: €419,470

Match timing: Approx. 3 pm local time, 1 pm GMT, 9 am EST

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel

Fabio Fognini vs Guido Pella preview

Fabio Fognini will kickstart his 2021 Geneva Open campaign against Guido Pella in the first round on Tuesday. Playing his fifth claycourt event of the year, Fognini comes into the tournament with an 11-10 win-loss record so far in 2021.

The Italian has had a topsy-turvy clay swing so far, to say the least. After getting ousted in the first round of the Andalucia Open, Fognini made it to the quarterfinals in Monte Carlo.

But Fognini's fortunes dipped again at Barcelona, where he got defaulted in the first round for allegedly hurling expletives at a line umpire. The 33-year-old's season went further downhill in Madrid and Rome, where he managed to win just one match combined - that too in three sets over the unfancied Carlos Taberner.

That said, even Fognini's form seems spectacular when compared to Guido Pella's results this year. Pella has endured one of his worst starts to a season and currently holds a win-loss record of 2-7 in 2021.

To make matters worse for the Argentine, he hasn't won a match outright since defeating Yoshihito Nishioka at the ATP Cup earlier this year. The 30-year-old's other win came against Egor Gerasimov at the BMW Open, but that was because the Belarusian had retired midway due to injury.

Pella has lost six of his last seven matches on tour, and has also faced defeat in five out of the six matches he has played on clay this year.

Fabio Fognini vs Guido Pella head-to-head

Guido Pella has defeated Fabio Fognini twice on clay.

The head-to-head between Fabio Fognini and Guido Pella is currently tied at 2-2. They have locked horns thrice on clay, with Pella leading that count with a margin of 2-1.

That said, the two players haven't faced each other on dirt since 2017.

Fabio Fognini vs Guido Pella prediction

While neither player is in spectacular form, there is no doubt that they both have what it takes to do well on clay. Fabio Fognini has eight career titles on the surface, and another six runner-up trophies.

Guido Pella, on the other hand, has made it to the final of an ATP event on five occasions, all on clay.

Fognini and Pella have also fared well in Geneva before. While the Italian finished as a semifinalist in 2018, Pella made it to the quarterfinals in the same edition.

Even though Fognini is a shadow of his former self, he remains the favorite in this fixture. Pella's considerably worse form and injury troubles have meant he has had absolutely no joy this year, and that is unlikely to change in the face of the Italian's still-potent shot-making.

Prediction: Fabio Fognini to win in three sets.