Pascal Della Zuana /Icon Sport
Roman Safiullin vs Fabio Fognini: ATP Chengdu – First round
Veterans Roman Safiullin and Fabio Fognini will face each other in the opening round of the ATP Chengdu.
Roman Safiullin Profile
Roman Safiullin is 56th in the ATP rankings and his career high was No. 36. The Russian is 19-22 for the season and 12-10 on hard surface.
This will be his first match after losing 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 to Matteo Arnaldi in the second round of the US Open after defeating Matthew Forbes in the first one.
Safiullin’s best result this season was winning the Challenger in Cary and he also made it to the semifinals in Brisbane and Aix en Provence Challenger.
Last year Safiullin made it to the final in Chengdu where he lost to Alexander Zverev 6-7, 7-6, 6-3.
Fabio Fognini Profile
Former world No. 9 Fabio Fognini is currently 79th in the ATP rankings. The Italian is 25-20 for the season and 4-6 on hard surface.
Fognini is coming off a 7-5, 6-1, 6-3 loss to Tomas Mahcac in the opening round of the US Open.
His best result this season was the semifinal of the San Marino Challenger where he lost to Alexandre Muller.
This will be his first appearance in Chengdu after losing in the 2018 final to Bernard Tomic.
Head-to-Head
This will be the first match between Roman Safiullin vs Fabio Fognini.
Prediction and Conclusion
Two veterans and former finalists in Chengdu will face each other in the opening round of the tournament, which will be their first head-to-head match ever. Fognini has been the more successful player in general, but Safiullin is the one who prefers playing on hard surfaces, has a better season, and most improbably, always has the right approach in every match. Fognini is often his biggest opponent, and that will make the difference in this match. Fognini will hold on at the beginning of the match, but Safiullin will take control at a certain point and win at the end.
