Fognini Floors Nishikori To Reach Miami SFs

Fabio Fognini is on a tear at the Miami Open presented by Itaú. The enigmatic Italian’s run continued on Wednesday as he advanced to his second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-final at the expense of Kei Nishikori, beating the second-seeded Japanese star 6-4, 6-2.

World No. 40 Fognini notched his first victory in three attempts over Nishikori, scoring his first Top 5 win since defeating then-No. 4 Rafael Nadal in the third round at 2015 Barcelona. It earns him a spot in his first Masters 1000 semi-final since 2013, when he reached the last four in Monte-Carlo (l. to Djokovic).

“At the moment, I’m just happy. Of course this is a big, big tournament for me. I’m feeling really good on court and other times, so this is the best thing that I can have this week,” said Fognini. “I’m happy about my performance. Of course, the result is positive. It’s like a dream maybe. I’m just trying to be focused on my game and do my best.”

The 29-year-old Fognini became the first Italian to reach the Miami semi-finals in tournament history as he dismissed Nishikori in 68 minutes. He faltered only briefly at the closing stages of both sets, being broken as he served for the opener at 5-3 and again when serving for the match at 5-1 in the second set, but on both occasions immediately broke Nishikori decisively in the following game.

It is a marked upturn in form for Fognini, who came into Miami with just seven wins on the board in 2017. He is the first unseeded player to reach the semi-finals in Miami since qualifier Guillermo Canas advanced to the final in 2007 (l. to Djokovic). The right-hander will bid to reach his first Masters 1000 final when he faces either Nadal or Jack Sock.

“I mean, Rafa, everybody knows Rafa,” joked Fognini. “Jack, he’s in really good shape. I think he’s had a really good start to the year and is playing really solid at the moment. I think it’s going to be a good match. We will see.”

Nishikori had won 15 of his past 17 matches in Miami coming into the quarter-finals. The Bradenton, Florida resident reached the final in Key Biscayne last year, finishing runner-up to Novak Djokovic. 

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