Luciano Darderi Overcomes Smoke Delay and Rain to Reach Italian Open Semifinals

Italian 24-year-old Luciano Darderi entered the Rome Masters 1000 quarter-final after beating second seed Alexander Zverev. Opponent 19-year-old Spaniard Rafael Jodar had become only the second teenager after Rafael Nadal (2005) to reach both Madrid and Rome quarter-finals in the same season.

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Darderi won 7-6(5), 5-7, 6-0 after more than three hours. He saved two match points in the second set; Jodar saved two match points in the same set and forced a decider. The match included a two-hour rain suspension and a smoke-related interruption. As the 18th seed, Darderi reached his first Masters 1000 semifinal and will face world No. 2 Casper Ruud, who beat Karen Khachanov 6-1, 1-6, 6-2.

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Fireworks for the Coppa Italia final between Inter Milan and Lazio at the nearby Stadio Olimpico produced smoke that drifted onto the court, briefly halting play and disrupting the electronic line-calling system. Reuters described the pause as brief; ESPN reported a nearly 20-minute delay. Rain later stopped the match for over two hours, pushing the start to about 11 p.m. and the finish past 2 a.m. The crowd stayed throughout.

Reuters

Darderi called the win the best of his career, praised the home crowd, and noted the difficulty of playing on a slow court that began late. He said he focused on taking the match “game by game, ball by ball” after the second-set setback. Officials confirmed the smoke required a reset of the line-calling system before play resumed.

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• “I think it's the best win of my career because of the crowd and everything here in Rome,” — Luciano Darderi, Player

Reuters

• “It was really a battle,” — Luciano Darderi, Player

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• “After the second set, I never thought I'd win, but I just tried to take it game by game, ball by ball. I pushed a little bit more in the third set, and physically I won it there.” — Luciano Darderi, Player

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• “We played really late, it was difficult at a certain point, but I'm happy.” — Luciano Darderi, Player

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Sources differ on the duration and description of the smoke interruption: Reuters calls it a “brief suspension,” whereas ESPN cites a “nearly 20-minute delay.” Both agree the smoke affected visibility and required a reset of the electronic line-calling system. No additional details on the exact timing of the rain suspension are provided.

Reuters

Darderi will face Casper Ruud in the semi-final. Ruud, who earlier produced a “stunning tweener” shot to defeat Khachanov, is seeking his first Italian Open final since 2023. The winner will advance to the championship match scheduled for the following day.

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