Fabio Fognini makes back-to-back foot faults to seal loss at Estoril Open

Fabio Fognini lost his Estoril Open Round of 16 clash against Marco Cecchinato in bizarre fashion, conceding two back-to-back foot-faults to decide the match. The Italian was guilty of two foot-faults at a crucial stage as he served to stay in the match at 3-5 in the deciding set.

Fognini, who beat fellow Italian Alessandro Giannessi in the first round, faced another Italian in Cecchinato on Wednesday. He won the opening set before Cecchinato mounted a strong comeback. Fognini then served two foot-faults at 40-40 in the ninth game of the deciding set to lose 6-4, 3-6, 3-6.

Fognini has struggled for form this season, having also lost in the early rounds at both Indian Wells and Miami before the Estoril Open. The 35-year-old, who has slipped to No. 97 in the ATP rankings, recently said that he is currently in the worst phase of his professional career. Having said that, Fognini also said that he believes he can beat any player on his day.

"I need matches and wins. My ranking went s**t. I'm in the worst moment of my career. At 36yo, I feel that I still have the level to improve my ranking. In a good day, I can beat everybody," Fognini said, as per journalist Jose Morgado.

Fabio Fognini granted wildcard for Monte-Carlo Masters 2023

Fabio Fognini competes during Indian Wells 2023.

Fabio Fognini is among the wildcard entrants for the main draw of the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters. The Italian was granted a wildcard as one of the past champions alongside Stan Wawrinka. Fognini won the Monte-Carlo title in the 2019 season, beating Andrey Rublev, Alexander Zverev, and Rafael Nadal en route to the title.

Fognini has failed to get past the second round in any of his tournaments so far this season. He has lost in the opening round of six of his eight tournaments in 2023.

Apart from the first-round win against Giannessi in Estoril, Fognini's only other tour-level win of the season was against Tomas Barrios Vera in the opening round of the Rio Open. He then lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the second round, but managed to win a set against the current world No. 2.

Fognini started the 2023 season at No. 55 in the ATP rankings but has seen a major drop in his place in the rankings as the season has progressed. Despite Wednesday's loss, Fognini will maintain a Top-100 spot next week.