Fabio Fognini celebrated his 31st birthday with a quarter-final victory on Thursday at the Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open. The second-seeded Italian recovered from a 2-5 deficit in the first set en route to beating American Tennys Sandgren 7-6(3), 7-6(5) in just under two hours.
This year’s Argentina Open champion (d. Jarry) led 3-0 in the second set and had the first of his four match-point opportunities at 6-5, Ad-Out, on Sandgren’s serve. Fognini will next attempt to beat Germany’s Peter Gojowczyk, who defeated seventh seed Andreas Seppi of Italy 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-3.
Two-time defending champion Stan Wawrinka suffered only his second loss in Geneva in four appearances. Hungarian Marton Fucsovics upset the Swiss right-hander 6-4, 6-0 in 71 minutes. Fucsovics saved seven of eight break points, including all six in the second set.
Wawrinka was playing his third clay-court match of the year, after falling in the first round in Rome last week. The 33-year-old, on the comeback from two left-knee surgeries, was playing back-to-back matches for the first time since February at the Diema Xtra Sofia Open.
Fucsovics will next face American Steve Johnson, who got the better of another player contesting two singles matches on Thursday, Guido Pella, 6-3, 6-4 for a place in the semi-finals. Earlier in the day, World No. 81 Pella beat top seed Sam Querrey 7-5, 6-7(6), 7-6(4) in two hours and 33 minutes, while Johnson defeated qualifier Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in just under two hours. Pella had also beaten Querrey in a third set tie-break last month in the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship second round.
Did You Know?
Fabio Fognini, who fell to Rafael Nadal in last week's Internazionali BNL d'Italia quarter-finals, is six spots off his career-high of No. 13 in the ATP Rankings (31 March 2013).