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A match where 'anything' can be expected

Fognini ousted the somewhat 'stray' Ito as expected and without a problem, while Paire faced a challenge against the qualifier Elias. He managed to defeat him with 68 winners, but it seems he will need to give more against Fognini

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When Fabio Fognini put together 14 clay win two years ago, it was seem as a confirmation that the always interesting Italian has all qualities to become a top player, especially on clay. Although, he did prove that before when he reached the Roland Garros quarter-final, but after that he lost in the third round three times in a row. Preparations for it this year weren't as good, and more was expected of him in this last part of the season, especially after he defeated Nadal twice. 

But he regularly lost after those wins, often convincingly. He won only four games against Andujar in Barcelona, and after that he took only three games against Thiem in Munich, so it can be concluded that he has been oscillating lately. He did play good tennis in Rome and he was close to reach the quarter-final through Berdych, which gave him more confidence ahead of Roland Garros. 

He is the 28th seed here and in the first round he did what was expected of him. He had the ideal draw in the Japanese Ito who doesn't really play on clay and he used that. We saw a match he dominated in all segments and we can conclude that quality prevailed. As expected, he did the best job in the longer rallies which he dictated and he finished the match with 19 winners more than his opponent. We also need to mention that he had 10 break point chances and he used 6 of them, while he lost his serve only once. 

- I think the courts were somewhat slower than usual today. That is probably because it rained this morning, but I managed to adapt. I am happy with my performance, but there is still some reserve - said Fognini after the first win. 

He will go after the second win, with which he would equalize his achievement from the last three appearances in Paris, against Paire who will undoubtedly be a tougher opponent. Even though the conditions are not favored by the talented Frenchman, he has shown certain mental improvement and he can always be a dangerous opponent. 

He did achieve better results indoors, while he won only three matches in the five ATP tournaments on clay. The fact that he is still returning after he missed most of the last and the beginning of this season need to be taken into account, but he is improving. 

He ousted the qualifier Elias here in a match that didn't lack drama. The Portuguese continued to play as well as he did in the qualifications (defeated Pella and Arguello) and he was the better player at the start. Paire did help him a lot with his oscillations, that is with his errors. Elias had 2-1 in sets, but that's when the Frenchman stepped up and in the end deservedly won. More aggressiveness, that was expected from him, paid off in the end and it's important to mention that he had 39 more winners (68-2), but he did make 60 unforced errors. He was serving better as well (11 aces), but the form was crucial as well. 

- I felt really good. Of course it would be better if I won in three or four sets, but the most important thing is that I won. He is in great form and this is an important win for me. I am very happy - said Paire after the difficult win. 

This is a clash of two players with whom it is never boring, and we should expect a lot of winner, but also all kinds of behavior. Because of the form, and the abilities in these conditions, the Italian is the favorite, but there is no room for underestimation here. He already lost to Paire on clay, even though it was three years ago.