Fognini announces this will be his final Rome Open
This round of 128 matchup between Jacob Fearnley and Fabio Fognini is one at the opposite end of the spectrum. The Brit, Fearnley, is an upcoming talent, having just started his professional career last year, while the Italian Fognini is nearing the end of his career. In fact, at 37 years of age, Fognini has just announced that this will be his last appearance at the Rome Open.
Playing Challenger tournaments in between, Fearnley has made appearances at the Australian Open, Indian Wells, Miami, Barcelona, and Madrid this year. At the first Slam of the year, the Brit made it to the third round, losing in straight sets to Alexander Zverev, but had a huge win over Nick Kyrgios in round 1. Along the way, he has played some great tennis, coming through the qualifiers and earning a few wins in the main draw, but going toe-to-toe with the big names has been a challenge.
Fognini, on the other hand, has struggled mightily with injuries and has only played 3 competitive matches on tour at this level in 2025. He missed out on the Australian Open with a foot injury, and it is evident that his best days are behind him at this stage of his career.
The pair of Fearnley and Fognini have never met on tour, and this will be their first meeting. The Brit has only begun his professional career and has played only a handful of matches, while Fognini has been hampered severely by injuries.
Once again, the two are on opposite sides when it comes to any type of comparison between these players. Fearnley is currently ranked 57th in the world, which is also his highest ranking thus far. Fognini is currently out of the top 100, with a ranking of 107, but his career-best was number 9, achieved in 2019.
| Fabio Fognini | Category | Jacob Fearnley |
| 107 | Ranking | 57 |
| 426-392 | Career W-L | 9-9 |
| 0-3 | YTD W-L | 7-6 |
| 9 | Career Titles | 0 |
| 0 | Grand Slams | 0 |
| 0 | YTD Titles | 0 |
Fognini’s best surface to play on is clay, where he has won 8 of his 9 career titles. Fearnley, however, prefers grass and believes that his game is also better suited to the faster surface. Having said that, based on current form and the physical struggles Fognini is going through, the advantage lies with the Brit.
Match Prediction: Fearnley in straight sets
Fabio Fognini: 37/20
Jacob Fearnley: 21/50
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