The Italian player Fabio Fognini managed to end the run for the 11-time champion of the Monte-Carlo Masters Rafael Nadal as he defeated him by 6-4 and 6-2 to set the Sunday’s final against the unseeded Dusan Lajovic.
Fognini before taking on Rafael Nadal managed to defeat the world rank no. 3 Alexander Zverev as well as 22 years old Borna Coric. With this win, Fognini has ended the 25 sets winning streak for Nadal as he managed to reach the first final of his Masters 1000 career.
For the world rank no. 14 Fognini, it was his 4th career win against Rafael Nadal in their total 15 matches. This was also his 3rd win on the clay court.
With this, Fognini has also become the first Italian player since 1977 to make it to the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters. The last Italian to reach the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters was Corrado Barazzutti who lost the match against Bjorn Borg.
32 years old Fognini has joined the three players who have managed to defeat Nadal three times on his favorite clay court.
Nadal said, “This was one of my worst matches in the last 14 years. It is difficult for me to find an explanation for my loss. I was lucky to win even two of the games. I was not thinking much. Now I am only thinking about how bad I played today.”
Fognini will now face the Serbian player Dusan Lajovic who managed to defeat the Russian Daniil Medvedev by 7-5 and 6-1 and make it to his first Masters 1000 final.
Lajovic was trailing by 3-0 in the first set before he pumped the gas. The 10th seeded Daniil Medvedev could not hold the pace for the ball that was swept past him on the Monte Carlo Country Club.
Fognini and Lajovic will now play for the Monte-Carlo Masters crown on Sunday.
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