Italy's Luciano Darderi wins dramatic quarter-final against Rafael Jodar at the Italian Open, securing his first Masters 1000 semi-final appearance.
Home favourite Luciano Darderi produced a remarkable comeback to defeat Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar in a thrilling quarter-final match at the Italian Open. The contest was briefly halted during the opening set when smoke from fireworks at the nearby Stadio Olimpico, where the Coppa Italia final between Inter Milan and Lazio was taking place, drifted across the Foro Italico. This reduced visibility and temporarily affected the tournament's electronic line-calling system.
Play resumed, and Darderi recovered brilliantly from 2-5 down in the tie-break to claim the opening set in front of an energised home crowd. The Italian looked set to finish the match quickly after moving 3-0 ahead in the second set, but Jodar fought back impressively, saving two match points before levelling the contest by taking the set 7-5.
However, the effort appeared to drain the 19-year-old Spaniard in the decider as Darderi regained control. The Italian broke serve twice to seal victory emphatically and advance into the semi-finals of the Masters 1000 event.
"I think it's the best win of my career because of the crowd and everything here in Rome," Darderi said in his on-court interview. "First time in the semi-finals, it's a dream to play here. It was difficult because we started around 11, the court was very slow... I just kept fighting and I'm very happy about that."
Darderi will now face Casper Ruud in the semi-finals after the Norwegian defeated Karen Khachanov with scores of 6-1, 1-6, and 6-2.
"I had a tough match against Khachanov but I managed to stay focused," Darderi added. "Now it's time to focus on Casper Ruud and try to make history in the semi-finals."
