Foro Italico, an immense Darderi wins against Jodar

It was an unforgettable evening at the Foro Italico. Not only because Luciano Darderi won against the talented Spaniard Rafa Jodar ("what a player", Jannik Sinner had written after beating the novice Rafa in Madrid) to reach the semifinals, but also because of how he won: at two o'clock in the morning, after a three-hour battle that ended 7-6, 5-7, 6-0, after two missed match points in the second set.

And after a twenty-minute suspension, at 6-5 in the first set, because the fumes from the fireworks that lit up the Olimpico - where Inter had won the Italia cup against Lazio - had plunged the centre into a fog and made the electronic sensors that call the out 'go crazy': and so the smoke delay was announced, probably a first in the history of tennis.

But Darderi was stronger than everyone and everything: more than an opponent on the rise, with the ardour of his 19 years, the power and the completeness of his strokes that are already making people talk about him as the third wheel between Sinner and Alcaraz; more than the shadow of those match points that vanished after two very tiring sets: they could have been the prelude to a third set that was resigned and dull, against an opponent who had escaped defeat and was ready to finish the job. But no, with Luciano Darderi such considerations do not apply. Even tonight, his ability to fight and the intelligence with which he approached the match, breaking the 19-year-old's rhythm with backhand backhands and sudden short balls, subverted all expectations. The third set was a domination, 6-0 (just like with Zverev): Jodar, who had been rather foul and nervous throughout the match, gave it his all at the beginning of the match (the break points cancelled at 0-1, before giving in and going down 0-2), only to gradually decline until he was struck down by cramps.

The crowd's support was of the intensity one can imagine (even excessive in the jubilation over the Spaniard's errors), in a match that was played little on the serve and a lot on backhand exchanges, accelerations, and stamina. Darderi has impressive physical prowess and speed in recoveries. But, as he said in the press conference at half past two in the morning, it is "above all mentally" that he feels he has made a quantum leap, in "never giving up", and he demonstrated this in the tiebreak of the first set: down 2-5, he recovered one point at a time until closing 7-5. "I'm very happy with my performance, especially in the third set: I realised I had to push harder because he plays very well and puts you under pressure. Physically I won it there". Friday will be his first semifinal in a Thousand, with Casper Ruud.

Meanwhile, today at 1pm it is Jannik Sinner's turn: he faces Andrey Rublev for a place in the semi-finals. At 7pm the other quarter between Landaluce and Medvedev.