● Italian advances to the QFs at a Masters 1000 event for the first time
Luciano Darderi earned one of the comeback wins of the season on Tuesday at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, where he saved four match points en route to upsetting second seed Alexander Zverev in Rome.
Darderi rallied from 3-5 in the second set and then saved match points at 5/6, 7/8, 8/9 and 9/10 in the second-set tie-break before eventually levelling on his second set point.
In front of an electric Italian crowd, Darderi then raced through the third set to record a 1-6, 7-6(10), 6-0 victory, sparking jubiliant scenes in the Italian capital.
With his two-hour, 25-minute win, Darderi advanced to the quarter-finals at an ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time, while he also recorded his first Top 10 win at his sixth attempt.
“It was a very tough match,” Darderi said. “At the start I was not feeling very good physically. At 3-5 in the second set, I was done. I think I had a small chance in the second set when I held for 4-5 and then the tie-break was a lot of pressure for him and me. It is not easy to play here because I am a bit nervous, but it was really nice. It was a good fight mentally from me.
“I won because of the crowd. You can’t give up here. The crowd helped me a lot and it is a dream to be in the quarter-finals. It is the tournament of my life.”
The 24-year-old is the first player other than Jannik Sinner to beat Zverev at a Masters 1000 tournament since Shanghai last October and will hope to continue his run against Rafael Jodar in the last eight.
The 19-year-old Spaniard Jodar is the first teenager since Novak Djokovic in 2007 to reach the quarter-finals in Rome.
Darderi looked down and out when he trailed Zverev 1-6, 3-5 on BNP Paribas Arena. The German had been controlling proceedings with his clean baseline ball-striking, but Darderi refused to surrender, breaking back almost out of nowhere.
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After forcing a tie-break, the 24-year-old then delievered under pressure. On the first match point, Zverev struck a backhand into the net before Darderi saved the second match point with a big first serve. The Italian fended off the third when the German pushed a forehand wide and saved the fourth by executing a perfect drop volley. The five-time tour-level champion then forced a deciding set when Zverev struck a costly double fault before racing to victory.
Darderi is up three spots to No. 17 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. Zverev, a two-time Rome champion, was chasing his eighth Masters 1000 crown this fortnight.
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