Between those who go ahead and those who already greet the main draw of the singles, the start of Italy at the Tokyo 2020 tennis tournament is in a draw, two ahead and two outside, even if in the double confrontation against the hosts of Japan the first day on the hard courts of Ariake Tennis Park sees the blues prevail with a dry 2-0.
But tennis is above all the first sport to clash on the rock of the great heat that is gripping Tokyo these days. "These are the worst conditions to play: I am here to win a medal, not to complain. But you have to go on the pitch from 6 pm, when the heat drops", the complaint of the Russian Medvedev, number 2 in the world. Her compatriot Pavlyuchenova demonstrates that hers is not a sport spoiled complaint: she dominated her match with Errani, but risked losing when she collapsed in the second set at the end of the second set. Twenty-five minutes of stop, ice in the head, the nozzle of the aerator, the doctors on the sidelines. Then the pressure drop returned, and the Russian ended her match with the Italian.
The protagonists and survivors of a very hard first day conditioned by humidity and scorching heat are Fabio Fognini and Lorenzo Sonego. The Ligurian, seeded number 15, defeated the host Yuichi Sugita in an hour and 48 minutes with a score of 6-4 6-3, a sweaty first set for the Italian who won the break in the first set only in the ninth game, more fluently in the second where the break reaches the fifth game and from there the race goes downhill. In the next round he will see it against the Belarusian Egor Gerasimov who beat the French Gilles Simon 4-6 6-3 6-4. Against the other Japanese Taro Daniel, it was instead a battle for Lorenzo Sonego, who came out the winner after 3 hours and 8 'of a very tight match with a score of 4-6 7-6 (6) 7-6 (3). After losing the first set with the only allowed break point,from the second begins a question and answer that for two sets sees the blue at the tie-break. The first was thrilling, when the Italian canceled a match-point at 6-5 and then closed 8-6. Lorenzo Musetti (n.61), who had taken the place of the injured Matteo Berrettini, defeated by the Australian John Millman (44) in two sets (6-3 6-4), in an hour and 35 minutes, surrenders instead . Sara Errani also collapses immediately, beaten by the Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Race without history, finished 6-0, 6-1 in just an hour and 10 minutes. Musetti will try to make up for it immediately tomorrow, when the double will be paired with Sonego against the Spaniards Andujar-Carballes. Also tomorrow will be the turn of two other blue, Camila Giorgi (number 58 in the ranking) will face the American Jennifer Brady (No. 15) and Jasmine Paolini (92) at thedebut against the fearsome Czech number 13 Petra Kvitova.
