Fernando Meligeni
Fernando Ariel Meligeni (born on
April 12,
1971), nicknamed
Fino (
portuguese for
thin) is a former professional
tennis player from
Brazil.
Meligeni was born in
Buenos Aires,
Argentina, but moved with his family to
Sao Paulo,
Brazil, when he was four years old. As a junior, he won the traditional Orange Bowl in 1989, finishing no. 3 in the world junior rankings in the same year. Meligeni turned professional in 1990, opting for the
Brazilian nationality.
He won his first
ATP Tour singles title in 1995, at the Swedish Open in
Bastad,
Sweden. In 1996, Meligeni won his second
ATP Tour singles title in
Pinehurst, North Carolina, defeating veteran
Swede Mats Wilander in the final.
At the
1996 Summer Olympics in
Atlanta, Georgia he reached the semi finals, where he was defeated by
Spain's
Sergi Bruguera.
In 1998, Meligeni won his third and last
ATP Tour singles title in
Prague,
Czech Republic, beating then world no. 6
Yevgeny Kafelnikov from
Russia on the way.
Meligeni reached his peak in the following year, with a strong performance at the
1999 French Open in
Paris,
France. He defeated seeds no. 3
Patrick Rafter, from
Australia, no. 14
Felix Mantilla, from
Spain, and no. 6
Alex Corretja, also from
Spain, only to fall in the semi-finals to
Ukrainian Andrei Medvedev. This was his best Grand Slam singles results and led him to a career-high ranking at 25.
He was also a member of the
Brazilian Davis Cup team, with an overall record of 13-16.
In addition to his three singles titles, Meligeni also won 7 doubles titles in the
ATP Tour, most of them partnering countryman
Gustavo Kuerten.
Meligeni retired from professional tennis in 2003, playing his last match against
Marcelo Rios from
Chile in the final of the
2003 Pan American Games in
Santo Domingo,
Dominican Republic, which he won in three sets.
Two years later, he was nominated captain of the
Brazilian Davis Cup team.
| No. | Date | Tournament | Opponent in the final | Score |
| Singles |
| 1. | 10 July 1995 | Bastad, Sweden | Christian Ruud (Norway) | 6-4 6-4 |
| 2. | 6 May 1996 | Pinehurst, North Carolina, USA | Mats Wilander (Sweden) | 6-4 6-2 |
| 3. | 27 April 1998 | Prague, Czech Republic | Slava Dosedel (Czech Republic) | 6-1 6-4 |
| Doubles |
| 1. | November 4 1996 | Santiago, Chile
Partner: Gustavo Kuerten (Brazil) | Dinu Pescariu (Romania) /Albert Portas (Spain) | 6-4 6-2 |
| 2. | April 7 1997 | Estoril, Portugal
Partner: Gustavo Kuerten (Brazil) | Andrea Gaudenzi (Italy) /Filippo Messori (Italy) | 6-2 6-2 |
| 3. | June 9 1997 | Bologna, Italy
Partner: Gustavo Kuerten (Brazil) | Dave Randall (USA) /Jack Waite (USA) | 6-2 7-5 |
| 4. | July 14 1997 | Stuttgart Outdoor, Germany
Partner: Gustavo Kuerten (Brazil) | Donald Johnson (USA) /Francisco Montana (USA) | 6-4 6-4 |
| 5. | October 27 1997 | Bogotá, Colombia
Partner: Luis Lobo (Argentina) | Karim Alami (Morocco) /Maurice Ruah (Venezuela) | 6-1 6-3 |
| 6. | July 6 1998 | Gstaad, Switzerland
Partner: Gustavo Kuerten (Brazil) | Daniel Orsanic (Argentina) /Cyril Suk (Czech Republic) | 6-4 7-5 |
| 7. | March 22 1999 | Casablanca, Morocco
Partner: Jaime Oncins (Brazil) | Massimo Ardinghi (Italy) /Vincenzo Santopadre (Italy) | 6-2 6-3 |
Other Singles Finals Appearances (3)
*
1995:
Mexico City (lost to
Thomas Muster)
*
2001:
Salvador (lost to
Jan Vacek)
*
2002:
Acapulco (lost to
Carlos Moya)
