Winston-Salem Open 2022: Fabio Fognini vs Dusan Lajovic preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Fognini (R) and Lajovic will clash in the opening round in Winston-Salem

Match Details

Fixture: Fabio Fognini vs Dusan Lajovic

Date: August 22, 2022

Tournament: Winston-Salem Open 2022

Round: First round (Round of 64)

Venue: Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States

Category: ATP 250

Surface: Hard

Prize money: $731,935

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK – Amazon Prime Video | Canada - TSN | Australia - beIN Sports

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Fabio Fognini vs Dusan Lajovic preview

Former top-10 player Fabio Fognini will battle it out against Serbia's Dusan Lajovic in an exciting opening-round encounter at the 2022 Winston-Salem Open on Monday.

Fognini, whose ranking has tumbled down to No. 61 following a poor 2022 season — he has a negative 14-16 win-loss record this year — will be keen to rediscover his best tennis heading into the final Grand Slam of the year.

Fognini has posted back-to-back main-draw wins on only two occasions this year, reaching the semifinals both times at the Serbian and Rio Open.

Lajovic has only posted 10 main-draw wins in 2022

Lajovic, much like his opponent of the day, has struggled for form in 2022. The Serb, having posted only 10 match wins against 10 losses, has slipped down to No. 87 in the world rankings and will be desperate to get a run going here in Winston-Salem.

He did show signs of revival with a run to the quarterfinals of the Austrian Open last month, where he beat Aslan Karatsev. Against another out-of-form opponent in Fognini, he will be fancying his chances of sneaking in a victory.

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Fabio Fognini vs Dusan Lajovic head-to-head

Fognini leads Lajovic in their current head-to-head by a 1-0 margin, having beaten him in the final of the 2019 Monte-Carlo Masters for the biggest title of his career.

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Fabio Fognini vs Dusan Lajovic odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games (Over & Under)
Fabio Fognini	-	-	-
Dusan Lajovic	-	-	-

(to be updated)

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Fabio Fognini vs Dusan Lajovic prediction

Fognini will be the favotite to win on paper

Neither of the two players is best equipped to play on the quick American hardcourts. That said, Fognini is quite capable of shortening the back swing on his groundstrokes to hit them with greater precision.

The Italian will step out looking to be the aggressor, but has to be wary of his opponent's solid all-court game. Lajovic enjoys mixing up his game and possesses competent groundstokes as well as nifty front-court skills.

Having raked in a total of eight top-10 wins over the course of his career, the Serb is no stranger to staging upsets. That said, slugging it out in long baseline exchanges is unlikely to yield results against the tenacious Italian.

Lajovic will have to find a way to be proactive in the rallies and keep the points short. If he is unable to do that, Fognini will eventually wear him down.

Pick: Fognini to win in three sets

Also Check Out: Fabio Fognini Net Worth