Italian Open star speaks out after dramatic 2am victory that was delayed by fireworks

Luciano Darderi says he earned “the best win of his career” after beating teenage sensation Rafael Jodar in a late-night thriller at the Italian Open. No. 18 seed Darderi had already caused a massive upset in the fourth round, saving four match points and then bagelling Alexander Zverev to send the second seed and two-time former champion packing.

And he served up another bagel late on Wednesday night, blowing two match points in the second set but holding his nerve to beat Jodar 7-6(5) 5-7 6-0 in a match that finished around 2am local time in Rome. Both players had to contend with a lot out there.

After starting their match shortly before 11pm, Darderi soon requested a coffee on the court, sipping it while trailing 4-5 on serve in the first set. A couple of games later, with Jodar leading 6-5, there was an unbelievable delay, as smoke filled Campo Centrale and suspended play for almost 20 minutes.

The smoke came from fireworks that had been set off at the nearby Stadio Olimpico after Inter Milan beat Lazio 2-0 in the Coppa Italia final. The players couldn’t see through the thick clouds, while the electronic line-calling system also briefly went down.

When play resumed, Darderi took the first set in a tiebreak. And the Italian looked in complete control when he led 3-0 in set two, and had chances to break again. But the teenager came storming back, getting back on serve and then saving two match points to force a decider.

But for the second match in a row, Darderi raced through the third and final set without dropping a single game. Shortly after 2am, he claimed victory when Jodar sent a forehand into the net and calmly walked over for the handshake. Afterwards, the Italian let the tears flow.

“I think it’s the best win of my career because of the crowd, everything here in Rome. First time in the semi-finals, it’s a dream to play here,” the 24-year-old said immediately after the dramatic match.

“It was difficult because we started around 11pm, the court was really slow. Rafa is an amazing player, he’s so young, just 19 years old. I had my chance in the second set, but then he played just amazing. But I just kept fighting, and I’m very happy about that.”

He later told Sky Sports Italy that he didn’t think he’d come through after dropping the second set. “It was truly a battle. After losing the second set, I didn't think I could win. I focused on playing ball for ball, game after game. I tried to fight and push, and I think I won on a physical level. We played really late, but the crowd helped me a lot, especially in the third set,” he explained.

“Today I tried to play more on his forehand, because he’s more solid on the backhand side. Then I tried to play some lower shots to keep him from losing pace, but sometimes when I was far away, I had no choice – I had to play backhand shots. But in the third set, I realised I had to push, because he’s a truly top-level player and would immediately come in and push as soon as he could. He's a really strong player, it’s the first time I’ve played against him.”

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