On Friday, Rafael Nadal will continue his 2018 Internazionali BNL d’Italia campaign.
The King of Clay will play his third match in Rome against Fabio Fognini, who recovered from a 2-4 deficit in the first set – by winning five straight games – en route to a 6-4, 6-4 third-round victory over Peter Gojowczyk.
Date: May 18, 2018
Match time: Noon local time / 6 AM EDT – New York, Montreal / 11 AM BST – United Kingdom / Noon CEST – Spain, France, Germany, Italy / 8 PM AEST – Melbourne. To convert to your local time, use this website.
Rafa on playing Fognini:
It’ll be a match against a great player, with a lot of talent.
I know I have to play well, to keep having chances and keep going in the tournament. I hope to be ready to make that happen, to play at the right level and to be competitive.
They have played 13 times and Rafa has won 10 of those meetings. Fognini earned three victories in 2015 (twice on clay in Rio de Janeiro and Barcelona prior to a five-set upset at the U.S. Open), but Rafa won five times in a row (including at three Masters 1000 tournaments last year). Rafa is also 5-2 against Fognini on clay court.
| Year | Event | Surface | RND | Winner | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Shanghai China |
Outdoor Hard | R16 | Rafael Nadal | |
| 2017 | ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid Spain |
Outdoor Clay | R32 | Rafael Nadal | |
| 2017 | ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami FL, U.S.A. |
Outdoor Hard | SF | Rafael Nadal | |
| 2016 | Barcelona Spain |
Outdoor Clay | QF | Rafael Nadal | |
| 2015 | Beijing China |
Outdoor Hard | SF | Rafael Nadal | |
| 2015 | US Open NY, U.S.A. |
Outdoor Hard | R32 | Fabio Fognini | |
| 2015 | Hamburg Germany |
Outdoor Clay | F | Rafael Nadal | |
| 2015 | Barcelona Spain |
Outdoor Clay | R16 | Fabio Fognini | |
| 2015 | Rio de Janeiro Brazil |
Outdoor Clay | SF | Fabio Fognini | |
| 2014 | ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami FL, U.S.A. |
Outdoor Hard | R16 | Rafael Nadal | |
| 2013 | Beijing China |
Outdoor Hard | QF | Rafael Nadal | |
| 2013 | Roland Garros France |
Outdoor Clay | R32 | Rafael Nadal | |
| 2013 | ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome Italy |
Outdoor Clay | R32 | Rafael Nadal |
GOOD LUCK & VAMOS RAFA!
Source: ATP World Tour
As expected, Cîlíc over Carreño-Busta and into the semi-finals; 6-3, 6-3.
RAFAMAZING RULED TODAY
Welcome back Rainier. Good to see you here.
Read your great points. I did expect Rafa to win in two but I’ll gladly take a win in three🤗
Will you be offering anything on Rafa’s Thiem loss? Always interested in your take on Rafa’s play.
RAFA ROCKS
Not a match up that Rafa relishes but he soaked up the pressure and weathered the storm that was coming from Fognini’s racquet. He’ll need to bring his A game tomorrow. Good luck champ!
Congrats Rafa and the best of luck tommorow 🎾💪🏼❤️🍀😘
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Rafa does it and has got further in Rome than last year which means a few more points. Hopefully he will crank it up as i think its either vs novak or nishikori tomorrow
Great outcome Rafa, you might need to find a bit extra if you meet Novak or Zverev. Good luck in your next match