Marton Fucsovics upset two-time defending champion Stan Wawrinka 6-4 6-0 in 71 minutes to reach the first semifinal of his career. Fucsovics fended off seven of eight break points.
Wawrinka beat Jared Donaldson yesterday, but struggled on his serve against Fucsovics to lose for the sixth time in his 10 matches this year.
Wawrinka earned an early break at the start of the match, but Fucsovics broke back in the next game. Fucsovics broke serve twice in the third and ninth games to clinch the opening set 6-4. The Hungarian player reeled eight consecutive games from 4-4 in the first set to win the second set by a bagel with three consecutive breaks of serve in the first, third and five games. Wawrinka earned six break-back points in the second game of the second set bu Fucsovic held on his serve.
Fucsovics will face Steve Johnson, who beat Guido Pella 6-3 6-4. Pella had to play two matches in one day after a rain delay on Wednesday. The world number 81 edged number 1 seed Sam Querrey 7-5 6-7 (6-8) 7-6 (7-4) in 2 hours and 33 minutes.
Second seeded Italian player Fabio Fognini rallied from a 2-5 deficit in the first set en route to beating this year’s Australian Open quarter finalist Tennys Sandgren 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-5) on his 31st birthday in just under two hours.
Sandgren converted his third point chance in the second game to open up a 5-3 lead. Fognini broke back on his second break point at deuce in the ninth game and held his serve to draw level to 5-5. In the tie-break Fognini closed out the first set by 7-3 on his third set point.
Fognini got an early break at 15 in the second game and held his serve after saving three break points to open up a 3-0 lead. Sandrgen broke back at love in the fifth game and held his service game to draw level to 3-3.
Fognini earned his first match point at 6-5 in the second set on Sandgren’s serve but the US player held his serve at deuce to force the second set to tie-break. Fognini sealed the second set 7-5 on his fourth match point.
In the semifinal Fognini will face Peter Gojowczyk in a re-match of last week’s Internazionali d’Italia third round match in Rome. The German player beat another Italian Andreas Seppi 6-3 6-7 (3-7) 6-3. Seppi started with an early break to open up a 2-0 lead. Gojowczyk saved two break points before breaking back. The German player got another break to open up a 5-2 lead and earned a set point, but Seppi saved it. Gojowczyk faced two break-back points, but he held his serve and sealed the first set on his set point. Seppi went up an early break in the second set and earned two set points on return but Gojowczyk saved them to set up a tie-break. Seppi won the tie-break 7-3 after Gojowczik made a backhand error. Gojowczyk converted his third break point in the sixth game of the third set and converted his first match point to secure his spot in his second semifinal of the year after Delray Beach, where he reached the final.
