Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (SportsNetwork.com) – Second-seeded David Ferrer of
Spain beat Fabio Fognini in straight sets Sunday to win the Rio Open.
Ferrer fired three aces in a 6-2, 6-3 win that took just over 83 minutes and
came one day after Fognini knocked off defending champion Rafael Nadal in a
three-set shocker on Saturday.
The fourth-seeded Italian’s upset ended Nadal’s 52-match winning streak in
clay-court semifinals.
He was chasing his fourth career title, but fell to 0-8 lifetime against
Ferrer, winning just two sets.
Ferrer, who also captured last month’s Qatar Open, earned $343,000 for his
23rd career title.
Fognini earned $154,620 as the runner-up.
