Fabio Fognini wins Historic ATP Challenger title against Roberto Bautista Agut, first with former top 10 players since 2006

Italy’s Fabio Fognini saved match points to win the ATP Challengers contest after beating Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut.

Both players, who were once part of the top 10 in the men’s singles category, had their struggles off late. Both faced each other in the final of an ATP Challenger in Valencia.

In the end, it was Fognini, who had to save match points to ensure a victory in the contest with a score of 3-6, 7-6, 7-6. The match went on to last for more than three hours, thus making it one of the most historic finals in the history of ATP Challenger competitions.

Fognini, who is now 36 years old, has won nine ATP titles at the highest level. He became world number nine in 2019. His most impressive outing in a major event came in the French Open in 2011 where he was knocked out of the tournament after having to retire in the quarterfinal against current world number one Serbia’s legendary tennis star Novak Djokovic.

On the other hand, Bautista Agut, who is 35 years old, also became world number nine in November 2019. He has won 11 ATP titles in his career. His most impressive competition in a mega-event came in 2019 where he reached the semifinal at Wimbledon to Djokovic with a score of 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.