Tennis Tennis Australian Open: Fognini and Caruso in heated argument after all-Italian affair The compatriots had battled it out over nearly four hours in the John Cain Arena before 16th seed Fognini emerged a 4-6 6-2 2-6 6-3 7-6(12) winner. Reuters MELBOURNE 11 February, 2021 21:03 IST The traditional handshake at the net quickly degenerated into a heated argument when Fognini suggested Caruso had been lucky on some points in the match. - Getty Images Reuters MELBOURNE 11 February, 2021 21:03 IST Fabio Fognini and Salvatore Caruso had to be separated by the court supervisor after the first all-Italian Australian Open men's singles match of the open era ended in uproar on Thursday.The compatriots had battled it out over nearly four hours in the John Cain Arena before 16th seed Fognini emerged a 4-6 6-2 2-6 6-3 7-6(12) winner.The traditional handshake at the net quickly degenerated into a heated argument when Fognini suggested Caruso had been lucky on some points in the match, an observation the Sicilian objected to.READ: Australian Open: Nadal, Medvedev sail into third round The expletive-filled argument continued by the side of the court until the official stood between the two players as they continued to gesticulate.It is the second year in a row that Fognini has been involved in controversy after a long match at Melbourne Park.Fognini ripped his shirt off in protest and was docked a point for refusing to play during an ill-tempered fourth round loss to Tenys Sandgren that the American described as a "war".The 33-year-old claycourt specialist will face Australian number one Alex de Minaur in the third round. Subscribe to our daily newsletter Get your daily dose of Sportstar with handpicked stories delivered right to your inbox! SUBSCRIBE Please enter a valid email address.