Aleksandar Vukic has made a welcome return to form at an ATP 250 tournament in Sofia, defeating former top-10 player Fabio Fognini in the opening round.
Sofia, Bulgaria , 28 September 2022 | Leigh Rogers
Sofia, Bulgaria
Aleksandar Vukic has scored his fifth tour-level win of the season – and first since February.
The 26-year-old Australian posted a hard-fought 7-6(11) 7-5 victory against former top-10 ranked Italian Fabio Fognini in the opening round of an ATP 250 tournament in Sofia.
World No.144 Vukic recovered from a 3-6 deficit in the opening-set tiebreak – and saved six set points in total, before clinching the 24-point tiebreak.
He then held on to that momentum to defeat world No.57 Fognini after one hour and 54 minutes on court. It is Vukic’s fourth career victory over a top 60-ranked opponent.
It is a welcome return to form for Vukic, who was sidelined with injury for three months midseason. It derailed a promising season start, which saw Vukic reach a first ATP quarterfinal in Adelaide, score a first Grand Slam main draw win at the Australian Open and then rise to a career-high ranking of No.117 in February after claiming an ATP Challenger title in India.
Vukic will face either Spanish veteran Fernando Verdasco or sixth-seeded Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili in the second round.
Aussies in action – Sofia
RESULTS
Men’s singles, first round
Aleksandar Vukic (AUS) d Fabio Fognini (ITA) 7-6(11) 7-5
COMING UP
Men’s singles, second round
Aleksandar Vukic (AUS) v TBC
Seoul, Korea
Injury has derailed Chris O’Connell’s campaign at an ATP 250 tournament in Seoul.
The 28-year-old Australian, who advanced to his first tour-level semifinal last week, was forced to retire after losing the opening set to Chinese Taipei’s Tseng Chun-Hsin in their opening-round clash.
John Peers also bowed out in the doubles competition, losing his first-round match alongside Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic.
Aussies in action – Seoul
RESULTS
Men’s singles, first round
Tseng Chun-Hsin (TPE) d Chris O’Connell (AUS) 6-4 ret.
Men’s doubles, first round
[3] Diego Hidalgo (ECU)/Cristian Rodriguez (COL) d John Peers (AUS)/Miomir Kecmanovic (SRB) 6-2 6-1
Tallinn, Estonia
Olivia Tjandramulia and French partner Jessika Ponchet have powered into the quarterfinals at a WTA 250 tournament in Tallinn.
The duo needed only 56 minutes to defeat wildcard pairing Valentini Grammatikopoulou of Greece and Daniela Vismane of Latvia in the opening…
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