Buenos Aires, Feb. 7: Fabio Fognini rallied to beat Guido Pella 2-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, giving Italy a 3-2 win over host and defending champion Argentina in a first-round Davis Cup tie here.
"I am happy because I put everything I had. I played very badly at the beginning, I waited until the end to find my game and now I feel great joy for this triumph," Fognini said, reports Efe.
Fognini, the world no 48, dug in against world no 84 Pella in the third set on clay at Parque Sarmiento, capitalising on mistakes by the Argentine who blew two break opportunities.
The match, rescheduled due to rain, strong winds and darkness on Sunday, was not free of the usual antics from the volatile Fognini.
He received a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct after he smashed his racket into the ground in the second set.
Fognini argued with fans in the stands and the chair umpire during the first two sets and he kicked a wall at one point to vent.
Pella, however, was unable to put the Italian away and the frustration got to him in the fourth set when he smashed his own racket after blowing two break chances in the sixth game.
Argentina was without Juan Martin del Potro, the hero of the South American nation's maiden Davis Cup triumph last year.The 28-year-old del Potro has battled numerous wrist injuries in recent years and concerns about his long-term health led him to skip both last month's Australian Open and the first-round Davis Cup tie.
Italy will travel to Belgium to play in the quarterfinals of tennis' premier international team event.
Shapovalov sorry for “letting country down” with angry outburst
Canada's Denis Shapovalov was left mortified after joining tennis's hall of infamy on Sunday, offering an apology and promising that he would learn from his momentary explosion of temper that left a Davis Cup umpire needing a visit to hospital.
Shapovalov, one of the brightest young talents in the game at 17, said he was “ashamed” after he inadvertently struck chair umpire Arnaud Gabas in the left eye with a ball he smashed away in anger during the Canada-Great Britain tie in Ottawa.
The incident happened in the third set of the deciding rubber with the tie locked at 2-2 and Shapovalov, the Wimbledon boys champion, two sets and a break of serve down to Britain's Kyle Edmund.
The teenager was immediately defaulted for “unsportsmanlike conduct", with Britain handed a 3-2 victory in the tie.
On Monday, the International Tennis Federation said in a statement: “Referee Brian Earley, who witnessed the incident, declared an immediate default of Mr Shapovalov for unsportsmanlike conduct. It was clear that Mr Shapovalov did not intend to hit Mr Gabas.
Shapovalov sought out the umpire in the referee's office and apologised. Gabas, who suffered bruising and swelling to the left eye was sent to hospital for a precautionary evaluation.
Shapovalov issued an instant apology after the match, saying: “I feel incredibly ashamed and embarrassed and I just feel awful for letting my team down, for letting my country down, for acting in a way that I would never want to act.
“I can promise that's the last time I will do anything like that. I'm going to learn from this and try to move past it.”
British captain Leon Smith said he could not help but feel sorry for the youngster. “I feel for the young lad. He's a great talent and he has learned a harsh lesson,” said Smith.
People still remember how the British player Tim Henman was defaulted in a Wimbledon doubles match in 1995 when he struck a ball which accidentally struck a ball girl.
