Luciano Darderi immediately out in Paris, bitter double tie-break

In the end, after more than two hours of battle and two sets decided on tie-break, it was Arthur Cazaux who came out on top. The Frenchman, world No. 62, overcame Luciano Darderi (No. 27 ATP) in the first round with a score of 7-6(5) 7-6(4), at the end of a match in which the Italian, especially in the second set, had given the impression that he could reopen the contest and drag it to the third set.

A real shame. Because Darderi’s numbers (60% firsts on court and 78% of points won with the first) tell of a balanced match, played at a good level. What betrayed him were some free errors at key moments and a still uneven confidence with indoor conditions – a surface on which, as captain Volandri also mentioned, the Italian still needs to gain experience. The court, rather slow in general opinion, ended up dampening the power of his strokes, while Cazaux compensated for the lower explosiveness with tactical lucidity and consistently shrewd choices.

And yet, despite his apprenticeship and the French cheering all for his opponent, Darderi in the second set had managed to go up as high as 5-2. Perhaps, with a bit more coolness, he could have managed that lead better instead of letting the adrenaline of the moment drag him down. Instead, in the very ninth game, came the counterbreak that put Cazaux back on track. From there, the Frenchman shifted gears, regaining control of the match and closing in the tie-break with the solidity of someone who feels victory is now in the grip of his racket.