Fabio Fognini outlasts Andy Murray in three-hour battle that had plenty of verbals

Fabio Fognini won the match, but Andy Murray will be encouraged that he managed to give as good as he got for nearly three hours in the second round of the Shanghai Masters.
Barely 24 hours after he saw off Juan Ignacio Londero in three sets, Murray was once again taken to three sets by Fognini with the Italian winning 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 7-6 (7-2) in three hours and 10 minutes.
FABIO THE FIGHTER 💪🇮🇹@fabiofogna outlasts Murray in a three-hour epic to reach the third round at @SH_RolexMasters! pic.twitter.com/Scec3S7iWe
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 8, 2019
It was a heated encounter with quite a few verbals and it was Fognini who had the early upper hand as he broke Murray in game three of the first set, only for the former world No 1 to hit back immediately.
Two games later he again had a break and again Murray turned things around straightaway, but the 10th seed was not to be denied in the tie-breaker.
However, the Italian then lost his way in the second set and Murray claimed back-to-back breaks in games five and seven to draw level.
ANDY. OF. OLD
Unbelieveble from @andy_murray! @SH_RolexMasters pic.twitter.com/0kDSrKxK6l
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 8, 2019
Things got really feisty in the third set as Fognini at one stage shouted midway through a point and the three-time Grand Slam winner was not impressed.
He told the Italian to “shut up”, adding “mate you say the same to everyone no matter who you’re playing”.
Chair umpire Fergus Murphy also got an earful from Murray, who told the official “he shouts and then tells me don’t look at me. He just shouted in the middle of the point.”
The Brit upped his game and got a break in game nine, but he couldn’t serve it out.
And lightning struck twice as he again broke Fognini in game 11, but once again failed to serve it out and the Italian then raced into a commanding lead in the tie-breaker before wrapping things up.
Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @T365Official.
Latest
-
WTA Tour
Iga Swiatek makes it 25 WTA wins in a row with triumph over Victoria Azarenka
Iga Swiatek fought back from 0-3 down in the first set to reach a fifth straight quarterfinal on the WTA Tour.
-
WTA Tour
Italian Open: Bianca Andreescu continues resurgent run as she gains last eight
Bianca Andreescu has booked her first WTA Tour quarter-final in 14 months.
-
ATP Tour
Alexander Zverev ups the aggression to see off Alex de Minaur, but admits ‘I need to work on serving out’
Positives and negatives for Alexander Zverev during latest Rome win.
-
French Open
French Open news: Players warned they will face sanctions if they make any pro-Vladimir Putin statements
Players warned ahead of 2022 French Open.
-
Tennis News
Rafael Nadal ‘super happy’ with Carlos Alcaraz’s rise, but pleads ‘stop comparing him to me’
Rafael Nadal a bit tired of Carlos Alcaraz comparisons and questions.
-
French Open
Elina Svitolina to skip French Open as she admits invasion of the Ukraine has left her ‘mentally drained’
“Mentally it’s very tough,” says Elina Svitolina.
-
ATP Tour
Cameron Norrie suffers injury scare during Italian Open defeat to Marin Cilic
British No 1 required treatment on his right ankle.
-
ATP Tour
Stan Wawrinka on Novak Djokovic ‘prize’: ‘It’s always special to play against him’
Stan Wawrinka ready for tough battle against Novak Djokovic in Rome.
-
Wimbledon
Wimbledon news: Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal told to ‘come clean’ as ATP accused of ‘behaving appallingly’
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal called out.
-
News
Tennis365 drops in on the LTA’s Emma Raducanu Trophy Tour
Emma Raducanu is taking her success to schools around Britain.