Overview
- Luciano Darderi beat Spain’s Rafa Jodar in a three-hour thriller that finished late at night after a brief stoppage caused by smoke from nearby fireworks.
- Darderi took the first set in a tiebreak, saw Jodar erase two match points in the second, and then swept the decider 6-0.
- He will face clay-court specialist Casper Ruud in the semifinal, with Ruud favored for his experience and rest as Darderi leans on home support.
- The Italian has strung together three straight three-set wins, which raises real recovery questions heading into the next match.
- His surge makes him the eighth Italian to reach the Rome semifinals in the Open era, with live coverage in Italy on Sky Sport and streaming on NOW.