World number 11 Fabio Fognini from Italy will take on Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin in the first round of the China Open on Monday, September 30. The match is scheduled to start at 5 pm local time (10 am BST). You can find Fabio Fognini v Mikhail Kukushkin live streaming, head to head, preview & predictions here.
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Fabio Fognini v Mikhail Kukushkin Head to Head
Both the players have played each other four times in their careers with each of them winning twice. Fognini won their first-ever meeting back in 2009 as well as their most recent one again in 2016 whereas Kukushkin’s both victories came in Moscow Open in 2009 & 2014 respectively.
Fognini: Looking to End the Year Well as the News of Splitting with Coach Emerges
For far too long Fabio Fognini made headlines in the tennis world for his behavior on the court, temperamental outbursts and his now too frequent foot faults. He was infamously suspended from the US Open following an obscene remark over a female umpire.
2018 was the year when the penny finally dropped. He broke into the top 20 in the world and has stayed there ever since. Working with a new coach finally seemed to pay dividends as he won three titles as well as finished the year with his best in terms of several wins during a calendar year. His 2019 campaign hasn’t lived up to the high expectations, and he has only won one title so far this year in Monte Carlo.
He goes into the tournament on the back of a couple of disappointing first-round exits from the US Open & the Laver Cup. The news just broke in the last 48 hours that he shall be parting with his coach Franco Davin at the end of the season. He will be hoping to replicate some of the form that he showed here in Beijing last year where he reached the semifinals on the back of some impressive perfomances before having to give a walkover to Bernard Tomic.
Read More:
Mikhail Kukushkin: Kazakh Will go in as an Underdog
The only Kazakh player ever to win an ATP Title, Mikhail Kukushkin has consistently been a top 100 player for almost six years now. His solitary title on the tour came back in 2010 when he won in Saint Petersburg. Since then he has managed to reach three more finals but failed to win any of them with most recently been the Marseille Open final loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas.
While success on the ATP tour-level has eluded him, he has been very active and thriving on the challenger level. Currently ranked number 58 in the world, the 31-year-old achieved his best-ever Grand Slam result at the French Open earlier this year where he reached the quarter-finals. He would be hoping for a better show this week compared to last year where he went out in the qualifiers.
Fabio Fognini v Mikhail Kukushkin Predictions & Tips
In this battle of equals, both players will fancy their chances. Fognini has endured a lean run off late and the news of him splitting with his coach may create an unwanted distraction for him. On the other hand, Kukushkin will take some heart from his run at Saint Petersburg a week ago and will be hoping to catch the Italian offguard.
The match is likely to be a close one but I will pick Fognini to scrap through the next round.
Tip: Fognini to win at 1.87 (888Sport) 1/3 at 888Sport
You can watch & bet on Fabio Fognini v Mikhail Kukushkin on Monday, September 30 here. . Get the latest tennis predictions and tips here.
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