Australian tennis toiler John-Patrick Smith is profiting from Fabio Fognini’s sensational disqualification from the US Open in new York.
Smith teamed with American Nicholas Monroe for a 6-7 (1-7) 6-4 6-3 second-round doubles win over Paolo Lorenzi and Rogerio Dutra Silva before learning the reward was a saloon passage through to the quarter-finals.
Fognini’s suspension from the season’s final grand slam event for abusing Swedish umpire Louise Engzelle earned Smith and Monroe a third-round walkover – and a guaranteed cheque for $US41,000 each ($A51,500).
Throw in $US50,000 for successfully qualifying for the singles and Smith, the world’s No.202, has more than doubled his season earnings of $US82,065 ($103,000) in a week.
Fognini was fined $US24,000 and kicked out of the tournament for reportedly calling Engzelle a whore and cocksucker in Italian during his first-round loss to fellow Italian Stefano Travaglia.
Fognini issued an apology for his behaviour on Twitter.
“First of all I would apologise to you fans, to the referee for what happened,” he posted.
‘It was just a very bad day, but it did not forgive my behaviour in the match.
‘Although I’m a hot-head (and though I’ve been right in most circumstances) I was wrong. But in the end it’s only a tennis game.’
The votatile Italian has history, having been fined $US27,500 at Wimbledon in 2014.
While Smith has advanced to the quarter-finals, Australian sixth seeds Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua suffered a surprise 6-0 3-6 6-4 second-round loss to Shuko Aoyama and Zhaoxuan Yang in the women’s doubles.
Teenager Thomas Bosancic also bombed out of the junior boys’ singles with a 6-2 6-4 second-round loss to Jesper De Jong of the Netherlands.