Gijon, Fabio Fognini’s sudden withdrawal

Fabio Fognini must stop after two sets against Frenchman Manuel Guinard

Bad news for Fabio Fognini, who was forced to retire in the first round of the Atp 250 tournament in Gijon. The Ligurian tennis player, engaged against Frenchman Manuel Guinard, had to leave the court on the result of 6-4, 0-6, 0-2 due to a physical problem suffered in the second set, which no longer allowed him to compete for the victory.

The Azzurro will in all likelihood also have to forgo the doubles tournament, where he was paired with Simone Bolelli and had already reached the quarterfinals: a stop that risks compromising the pair’s presence at the Atp Finals in Turin.

Bolelli and Fognini currently occupy ninth place in the Race to Turin tournament, about 300 points behind the eighth-place pairing of German Tim Puets and New Zealander Michael Venus.