Italian Open 2022: Jannik Sinner vs Fabio Fognini preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Match details

Fixture: (10) Jannik Sinner vs Fabio Fognini

Date: 11 May 2022

Tournament: Italian Open

Round: Second round (Round of 32)

Venue: Rome, Italy

Category: ATP Masters 1000

Surface: Clay

Prize money: €5,415,410

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Sports18 & Voot

Jannik Sinner vs Fabio Fognini preview

The second round of the 2022 Italian Open will witness home favorites Jannik Sinner and Fabio Fognini lock horns in a highly-anticipated encounter on Wednesday.

Sinner, the 10th seed, opened his campaign with a straight-sets win over Pedro Martinez. Although he has recorded victories over the likes of Andrey Rublev and Alex de Minaur this season, the Italian is yet to make it to the business end of a claycourt tournament.

Fognini beat Dominic Thiem in his opening match in Rome

Fognini, meanwhile, suffered early exits in both Monte Carlo and Madrid. The veteran did, however, stage a strong run at the Serbia Open, reaching the semifinals by beating Marco Cecchinato, Aljaz Bedene and Oscar Otte.

His gutsy win over Dominic Thiem in the opening round in Rome (his first since 2019) would have also given him plenty of confidence heading into Wednesday's clash.

Jannik Sinner vs Fabio Fognini head-to-head

This will be the first career meeting between Fognini and Sinner, so their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.

Jannik Sinner vs Fabio Fognini odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games (over
Fabio Fognini	+260	+4.5 (-145)	Over 21.5 (-115)
Jannik Sinner	-350	-4.5 (+105)	Under 21.5 (-120)

(All odds are sourced from BetMGM)

Jannik Sinner vs Fabio Fognini prediction

Sinner will the favorite heading into the contest

Jannik Sinner isn't the most comfortable on clay as his power-packed game is better suited for faster surfaces. That said, he has had his fair share of success on the red dirt.

The youngster looked in complete control in his first-round contest against Martinez. His aggressive baseline hitting overpowered the Spaniard. But against a solid counterpuncher in the form of Fognini, Sinner cannot afford to feed his opponent with too much pace.

Fognini's short backswings enable him to redirect pace effortlessly. His movement on clay is another asset and he will look to extend rallies and frustrate Sinner into overpressing.

Fognini is unlikely to go down without a fight, but if Sinner can continue playing with measured aggression and not give away too many free points, he should be able to eke out a win.

Pick: Jannik Sinner to win in three sets