The Stats Zone
July 23 2021, 14:36 · Adam Evans

Men’s Olympic Tennis First Round – Fabio Fognini vs Yuichi Sugita Preview & Prediction

Men’s Olympic Tennis First Round – Fabio Fognini vs Yuichi Sugita Preview & Prediction

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THE FACTS

When is Fabio Fognini vs Yuichi Sugita taking place? Fabio Fognini vs Yuichi Sugita will take place on Saturday 24th July, 2021 at (not before) 06:00 (UK)

Where is Fabio Fognini vs Yuichi Sugita taking place? Fabio Fognini vs Yuichi Sugita will take place at Ariake Tennis Park in Tokyo

What surface is Fabio Fognini vs Yuichi Sugita played on? Fabio Fognini vs Yuichi Sugita will be played on hard courts

Where can I get tickets for Fabio Fognini vs Yuichi Sugita? There are no tickets for Fabio Fognini vs Yuichi Sugita as Olympic Tennis will take place without spectators.

What TV channel is Fabio Fognini vs Yuichi Sugita on in the UK? Olympic coverage is shared between BBC and Eurosport so it is worth checking their schedules for Fabio Fognini vs Yuichi Sugita

Where can I stream Fabio Fognini vs Yuichi Sugita in the UK? If Fabio Fognini vs Yuichi Sugita is televised on BBC then it can be streamed live on the BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website & app. If Fabio Fognini vs Yuichi Sugita is televised on Eurosport then subscribers can stream the match live on Eurosport Player

THE PREDICTION

World number 31 Fabio Fognini played some good tennis at Wimbledon earlier this month but ultimately fell to a tough third round match against Andrey Rublev. The 34-year-old can give the appearance of a player who prefers to work alone but Fognini has actually represented Italy well and dutifully over the years and was a huge part of their run to the ATP Cup final at the start of the year. Italy lost to Russia in the final there, with Fognini again falling to world number seven Rublev, but he should have more than enough to get through a few rounds in Tokyo too. World number 114 Yuichi Sugita is one of four men representing host nation Japan at the Olympic Games but the lack of crowds at Ariake Park is desperately sad for the 32-year-old. Having spent much of the last few years on the Challenger Tour, the former world number 36 would have been good value for putting in a throwback performance here with rapturous backing.

Fognini was the winner in their previous meeting and interestingly also in an international format with a five-set round robin victory at the 2018 Davis Cup. Sugita was obviously in inspired form that day but ultimately fell to the firebrand Italian and three years on the win should come a little easier. Take Fognini to win outright as even though he should be doing this in straight sets, the occasion could still inspire something special in Sugita fans or no fans.

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