Fabio Fognini defeated Aljaz Bedene in the first round of the ATP 500 tournament in Hamburg with a score of 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5). The success against the player born in 1989 allowed the Italian to set a new record and to become the first Italian tennis player to reach 400 victories in the ATP Tour.
The match was decided by the tie-break of the third set; a tie-break full of emotions and tensions. At 1-1, chair judge Aurelie Tourte considered Bedene’s first serve wide. The Slovenian asked Tourte to check the mark left by the ball on the pitch, but the call was confirmed even after the check.
Fognini, on his part, immediately confirmed the goodness of the chair judge’s intervention. Bedene, however, did not accept the decision and showed all his frustration after hitting a painful double foul. At the end of the match, the Slovenian railed against the blue and a strong discussion arose between the two protagonists of the match.
The chair judge tried to divide Fognini and Bedene to prevent the situation from escalating. The Italian and Slovenian had a heated dialogue for a few minutes and were unable to clarify their positions.
