Italian Open: Former No. 1 Andy Murray ousted by Contemporary Fognini

Fognini was ranked outside the top 100 in the world ranking in 15 years. However, it proved no obstacle as he defeated Andy Murray to cruise through to the 2nd round.

It was a crash from the top of ecstasy for Andy Murray as he lost in the first round of the Italian Open just after winning his first trophy in almost 3 years. Fabio Fognini entertained the home crowd as he defeated Murray by the score of 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.

Brief Insight into the game

The former number seven Fognini impressed his home crowd with a composed serving performance in the final set, giving up just three points. It was only his third victory on the tour in 2023 but his fifth victory overall in nine encounters with Murray.

In a first-round match that lasted nearly three hours, the Italian player—also a father of three like Murray—fired 46 winners past the former world number one and three-time major winner.

Statement from Fognini

“For sure I’m happy because coming back from injury is never easy, especially at our age. But winning here in Rome against a really big player like Andy,” said Fognini, as quoted by Sportstar. A foot injury who also picked up a slight niggle in foot.

“Now it’s important to recover. It’s going to be tricky and a nice question to my mind if I will recover well. But I just want to enjoy this night and go home with this victory.”

Statement from Murray

"There was some good stuff in there, but also some pretty average stuff," he was quoted as saying by The Guardian. "He played well in the third set. My level was OK, but he played really well in the third."

Murray ended his drought of trophies the previous week in the second-tier Aix-en-Provence Challenger Tour. It was his first trophy in clay court since 2016. He hasn't participated in the French Open since 2020. He also looked undecided on where to play next.

"I'd still like to play but we did agree that we would talk and make a decision as a team after Rome," he added, "That is what I wanted, to see how my game felt, how I was playing and physically how I was doing in some of the longer matches before making a definitive call on it.

"We'll have those discussions in the next few days."