The veteran Italian came out flying to take a set and a 4-2 lead as Nadal struggled to find a rhythm, making upsets like Fognini’s memorably pulled off against the Spaniard at Arthur Ashe Stadium seven years ago. Chances of it happening increased.
Momentum turned in Nadal’s favor in the third set when he went down an overhead and crushed a forehand to break Fognini and take a 4-2 lead.
He broke the fading Fognini again to capture the third set and appeared to march towards the finish line when, leading 3–0 in the fourth set, his racket jumped off the court and accelerated to the bridge of his nose. hit with
This led to a medical time-out where the 22-time Grand Slam champion lay on his back with his eyes closed as a pink bandage was applied to stop the bleeding.
Nadal regrouped and with the support of the partisan crowd sealed the victory on Fognini’s 60th unforced error, ending an ugly affair, with the players combined for 15 breaks of serve and 11 double faults.
“I haven’t been competing for over an hour and a half, it was my worst start ever,” Nadal said in an interview on the court. “When this happens, hopefully not very often, you have to stay positive and be patient. The match is long.”
Talking to reporters after the match, Nadal said that he was dizzy and pained by the blows of the racket. “There was just one strong hit,” he said. “Initially I thought I had broken my nose because it was a shock in the beginning. There was a lot of pain.
“Seems like ain’t broke. I’m not convinced yet. I don’t know. I feel like it’s getting bigger and bigger.”
With the win, Nadal avenged his loss to Fognini at the 2015 US Open, when the Italian returned from two sets. Nadal is now 14-4 against Fognini’s lifetime.
Nadal next faces Richard Gasquet, who beat Serbia’s Miomir Kekmanovic 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 on day one.
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