Darderi struggles but loses to Rublev: Russian in semifinals in Hamburg

Luciano Darderi’s journey at the Hamburg Atp 500 ended in the quarterfinals against Andrey Rublev of Russia. The Italian in fact was beaten in three sets with the final score of 6-1, 3-6, 6-3. The Russian thanks to this victory regained confidence and solidity after a complicated period, marked by seven defeats in the last nine outings.

The match in Germany opened with an immediately incisive Rublev. The Russian is solid on serve and aggressive from the back court, nullifying three break points in the first game and then taking the lead. Darderi’s difficulties on serve give the number three seed a chance to place two decisive breaks in the fourth and sixth games. The first set closed quickly with a clear 6-1, with the Russian imposing his own rhythm.

In the second partial, however, the Blue completely changes register and gear. He improves his serving percentages and is able to handle prolonged exchanges better. The forehand starts to be really incisive, often taking Rublev out of his comfort zone. After nullifying a break point, Darderi gets the decisive break in the sixth game and consolidates the lead with authority. A beautiful long backhand closes the set 6-3, reviving his ambitions.

In the deciding set, however, Rublev becomes dominant again. He immediately gets a break in the second game thanks to more incisiveness in his groundstrokes, especially with his forehand. Darderi tries to fight back, even a bit stymied and annoyed in the last set by the Italian-Argentinean. Darderi is no longer able to trouble his opponent in response. The Russian managed the advantage with experience and closed 6-3, securing a place in the semifinals, where he will take on the winner between Muller and Auger-Aliassime. Still, excellent performance by Darderi, who will now fly as soon as possible to Paris ahead of Roland Garros, where he will face the American Sebastian Korda.