SERBIAN Filip Krajinovic has broken through for his maiden ATP Tour title with an impressive straight sets win over Fabio Fognini at Morocco. Krajinovic was in his fourth Tour final of his career, having made the last match at Budapest and Stockholm last year, and more impressively, at the Masters 1000 in Paris back in 2018. This time was different however, as the fifth seed tasted success thanks to the 6-3 6-3 win over his higher ranked opponent.

The match was not one for the ages, but it will matter little to Krajinovic who played incredibly well across both sets. Fognini was inconsistent at times and it cost him, with the Serbian taking an early break in the first set. He was able to steer the contest from then on, keeping the match at his tempo, controlling play and forcing the Italian into making mistake. When Krajinovic took the first set, Fognini was visibly frustrated, after hitting multiple unforced errors off the backhand side in the first set.

The second set was a little better for the Italian, starting strongly with a break in the fourth game, but his celebration was short-lived as Krajinovic broke straight back. The Serbian broke again in the eighth seventh game to make it four consecutive games and he claimed the victory. On the final point, a down-the-line forehand winner which caught his opponent off guard prompted celebration and the fifth seed having an overwhelming sense of relief.

The win was a huge result for Krajinovic’s world ranking, shooting up seven spots to a career-high 22nd in the world, while Fognini had done enough to leapfrog David Goffin into the top 10. Looking ahead to Monte Carlo Masters, defending champion Fognini takes on Australian John Millman in the first round, with a potential danger game against wildcard and Houston Open finalist, Andy Murray in the second round. In a bigger quirk, Krajinovic faces the Houston Open winner, Nikoloz Basilashvili in the first round.

FINAL RESULT:

[5] Filip Krajinovic (SRB) defeated [2] Fabio Fognini (ITA) 6-3 6-3