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Darderi perseveres to defeat Shapovalov and advance to the second round of the Italian Open

Darderi outlasts Shapovalov to reach second round of the Italian Open


Luciano Darderi outlasted Denis Shapovalov 6-7, 6-3, 7-6 in a lengthy affair to advance to the second round of the Italian Open.

In a dramatic showdown on Centre Court at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, it was the world number 54 who delivered under pressure, escaping with a nail-biting three set victory in 3 hours, 10 minutes.

Little separated the two players in a lengthy opening set. They first exchanged breaks of serve to open the match, before Shapovalov was able to gain the early scoreboard advantage, 3-1.

Buoyed by the partisan Italian crowd, Darderi responded by winning the next three games. The match stayed on even terms until an opening set tiebreak.

The 25-year-old from Richmond Hill established the upper hand with an early 4-2 lead, and then won a crucial 24-ball rally to forge ahead 6-3. He sealed matters, firing one of his 15 opening set winners to close it out, 7-6 (4) in 1 hour, 14 minutes.

In the second set, the Italian ramped up his aggression, using his powerful groundstrokes to control play from the back of the court.

Meanwhile, Shapovalov, a former Italian Open semifinalist in 2020, struggled with his timing, frequently spraying errors and missing serves.

At 2-2, two unforced errors from the Canadian gave the break of serve to Darderi.

The Italian closed the set with another break of serve, finishing with a winner at the net to win the second 6-3 in 38 minutes.

Darderi initially remained the more consistent player in the third set, and was rewarded with his play, getting the first break for a 4-2 lead.

Shapovalov was not deterred, responding with a break of his own by hitting two clean winners and then holding serve for 4-all.

The twists and turns continued through the late stages of the match. The Canadian outlasted his opponent in a nine-minute game, breaking for a 5-4 lead.

However, Darderi, at the urging of the crowd, refused to wilt, breaking for 5-all. Meanwhile, Shapovalov took a hard fall to clay, getting assistance from a ball girl to wipe the red dirt off his arms.

The players then traded holds of serve, and Shapovalov escaped a 0-30 score to even the third set at 6-6, sending matters to a tiebreak.

With the crowd firmly behind its Italian player, Darderi played great tennis in the waning moments, hitting two clean winners to move ahead 5-3.

A final forehand into the net from Shapovalov secured the victory for the Italian in three sets.