Italian Open 2021: Fabio Fognini vs Kei Nishikori preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: Fabio Fognini vs Kei Nishikori

Date: 10 May 2021

Tournament: Internazionali BNL d'italia 2021

Round: First round (Round of 64)

Venue: Rome, Italy

Category: ATP Masters 1000

Surface: Red clay

Prize money: €2,082,960

Match timing: Approx. 12 pm local time, 3.30 pm IST

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video

Fabio Fognini vs Kei Nishikori preview

Home favorite Fabio Fognini will kickstart his 2021 Italian Open campaign with a first-round match against Japan's Kei Nishikori.

Fognini and Nishikori had similar fortunes at the Madrid Open, facing defeat in their second-round match. Interestingly, they were both ousted by the eventual finalists - Matteo Berrettini and Alexander Zverev - respectively.

That said, Nishikori has had a slightly better clay season so far. The Japanese made it to the Round of 16 in Barcelona, where he gave a stiff fight to Rafael Nadal. Nishikori had also beaten Cristian Garin in the Spanish city prior to that. And in Madrid, Nishikori managed to defeat Karen Khachanov before losing to Zverev.

The 31-year-old didn't participate in any other clay event, unlike Fognini, who began his clay swing at the Andalucia Open. There, the Italian fell in his very first match - against Jaume Munar.

Fognini fared better in Monte Carlo, where he went all the way to the quarterfinals before losing to Casper Ruud. But in Barcelona, things took a nasty turn for Fabio Fognini.

The 33-year-old, facing world No. 134 Bernabe Zapata Miralles in his first match, trailed 0-6, 4-4 when a line call upset him. Fognini allegedly hurled some expletives towards the line judge, for which he was promptly defaulted from the tournament.

But the World No. 28 pleaded his innocence, and subsequently decided to appeal the decision. In fact, Fognini has gone on record saying he might even sue the ATP if they don't issue him an apology.

Fabio Fognini vs Kei Nishikori head-to-head

Kei Nishikori leads Fabio Fognini by a margin of 2-1 in the head-to-head. They have played once before on clay - Madrid 2015 - with Nishikori winning in three sets.

Fabio Fognini vs Kei Nishikori prediction

Kei Nishikori

Fabio Fognini suffered a major setback in Barcelona, which affected his mental state at the Madrid Open. The Italian was far from convincing in his first-round match against Carlos Taberner last week, and had no answer to Berrettini in the second round.

It remains to be seen if Fognini is in a better headspace in Rome, where he doesn't have the best of records. The 33-year-old has made it past the Round of 16 just once in 15 attempts - which is a shocking return given his prowess on clay.

Kei Nishikori, on the other hand, has made it to the quarterfinals of the Italian Open thrice and the semifinals once. The Japanese has also been in better touch lately, and looks to have shaken off some of his early-season rust.

While Nishikori lacks the power and topspin of Fognini, he more than makes up for that with his accuracy and variety. And given the Italian's tendency to self-destruct, it seems likely that Nishikori will be able to outlast Fognini.

Prediction: Kei Nishikori to win in three sets.