ATP Tour

Darderi claws past Jodar in memorable Rome QF rumble

Luciano Darderi will not soon forget his path to the 2026 Internazionali BNL d’Italia semi-finals.

After saving four match points en route to a fourth-round victory against two-time Rome champion Alexander Zverev, the Italian overcame a smoke delay and a serious battle from Rafael Jodar in a three-hour, eight-minute quarter-final that ended at 2:02 a.m. Wednesday morning.

Darderi let slip a 3-0 second-set lead and two match points later in the set before clawing past the #NextGenATP star 7-6(5), 5-7, 6-0 in front of a vociferous home crowd. The 24-year-old became the eighth Italian to reach the Rome semi-finals in the Open Era, setting a clash against Casper Ruud for a spot in the final.

"I think it's the best win of my career because of the crowd and everything here in Rome. First time in the semi-finals, it's a dream to play here," Darderi said. "Rafa is an amazing player. He's so young, just 19 years old. I had my chance in the second set, then he played just amazing. But I kept fighting and I am very happy about that."

In an entertaining opening set, Darderi raced out of the blocks to lead 3-1, before Jodar settled and found his range from the baseline. The 19-year-old Jodar, competing in his second ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final after reaching the last eight in Madrid, then led 6-5 before play was suspended for less than 20 minutes due to smoke, which drifted from the nearby Coppa Italia football final, held at the Stadio Olimpico 500 metres away.

On resumption, Darderi produced his best level of the set, taking large cuts at the ball to force Jodar off balance and seal the opener, putting the teen under pressure. 

But despite quickly falling behind in the second set, Jodar showed his competitive spirit to rally from 0-3 down and saved two match points at 4-5. The Spaniard fended off the first with a forehand winner and the second when Darderi fired a backhand long. The Spaniard then captured the next two games to level and force a late-night decider.

Darderi, who showed signs of being at his physical limit near the end of the second set, knuckled down, grinding out lengthy rallies as the night wore on. The 18th seed earned nine break points in the decider and converted three of them according to Infosys ATP Stats, surging to one of the biggest victories of his career.