Despite his restricted movements, Fognini was good enough to trouble Yuki with his solid ground strokes, specifically his power-packed forehand.
A proper contest would have served as a good tennis lesson for the Indian youngster. It will be first ever appearance for Yuki in an ATP tour tournament quarterfinals on Friday and it will help him improve his ranking.
"It's great to be in the quarterfinals of an ATP tour event before the home crowd. You don't get to play matches against world number 16 everyday. I am looking forward to next match tomorrow," Yuki said.
"He showed why he is top-20 player, hope he recovers well before the Australian Open," Yuki said when asked about Fognini's fight despite laid low by the injury.