US Open: Luciano Darderi Redeems Italy, Beats Sweeny, and Advances to the Round of 16
At the end of another disappointing day for Italian tennis, some good news has emerged: Luciano Darderi will play in the round of 16 at the 2026 U.S. Open. The Italian-Argentine secured his spot by defeating Dane Sweeny—the Australian who had previously surprised a battered Lorenzo Musetti in New York—without much trouble. This time, the match ended in less than two and a quarter hours, with a score of 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. It was a commanding performance by “Luli,” who is making his second Grand Slam round of 16 appearance and is the only Italian remaining in the Flushing Meadows draw. The second set was particularly decisive; he started by losing his serve in the second game but managed to break back in the fifth and ninth games.
The day for the Italians had been marked by the elimination of Flavio Cobolli, the No. 5 seed, who was defeated in four sets by Belgian Alexander Blockx with a score of 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-0, 6-3. This was a surprising result, considering that the Roman had already beaten Blockx twice in the preceding weeks—first at the Cincinnati Masters 1000 and then again in the same tournament. The Belgian was able to capitalize on the experience gained from their previous matches, completely defying the odds and reaching the round of 16 at a Grand Slam for the first time.
Darderi thus becomes the last remaining player from an Italian contingent that had set out with immense ambitions: there were no fewer than ten Italian players in the men’s draw, a number that attests to the extraordinary depth Italian tennis has achieved. Among the most significant eliminations was that of Lorenzo Musetti in the second round against Sweeny, which was affected by a sudden illness: the player from Carrara had experienced a drop in energy and dizziness caused by the intense heat in New York, forcing him to take a medical timeout and ultimately lose the next three sets 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 after winning the first set.
Darderi’s path to the round of 16 was by no means without obstacles. The Italian-Argentine made his debut by defeating Britain’s Harry Wendelken in four sets (6-2, 3-6, 6-2, 7-5) on a court made slippery by rain, finishing with 15 aces and 147 total points won. In the second round, he then had to battle for over three hours against Czech player Dalibor Svrcina, ranked No. 134 in the ATP rankings, in a tense and hard-fought match in which both players broke their rackets and Svrcina himself racked up a whopping 20 double faults. Against Sweeny, however, “Luli” showed a completely different side—more solid and consistent—dominating from start to finish.
The overall context of the tournament remains that of a particularly wide-open draw, especially due to the absence of Jannik Sinner, the world No. 1 and 2024 defending champion. The South Tyrolean is undergoing rehabilitation for inflammation in the tendons of his right knee, with the goal of returning to competitive play in late September in Beijing. Against this backdrop, Darderi now finds himself playing an unexpected leading role for Italian tennis at Flushing Meadows, with a real chance to go even further in a Grand Slam that is proving to be one of the most wide-open in recent years.
