US Open: Rain and Wendelken Can’t Stop Luciano Darderi

Luciano Darderi, like Matteo Berrettini—who eliminated Stan Wawrinka—also advanced past the first round of the U.S. Open. The Italian defeated Britain’s Harry Wendelken on Court 5 in four sets, with a score of 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, 7-5, at the end of a match that lasted over three hours. In the second round, Darderi will face Dalibor Svrcina.

The Italian got off to a strong start, capitalizing particularly on Wendelken’s struggles with his second serve. In the first set, Darderi converted three of his five break points and maintained control of the baseline rallies, closing out the set 6-2.

The second set proved more challenging, partly due to the conditions on Court 5, which had become slippery after the rain. Darderi complained about the court surface and lost consistency on her serve, conceding a total of 11 break points. Wendelken took advantage of this, even managing to win four consecutive games and tie the match at 6-3.

In the third set, Darderi regained consistency on his service games. The Italian gave his opponent fewer opportunities and capitalized on the chances that came his way on return. The Briton, on the other hand, saw his serving performance drop, and Darderi once again took control of the set, winning it 6-2.

The final set was the most evenly matched. Wendelken, who had requested a medical timeout early in the set due to cramps, still managed to stay in the match until 5-5. It was in the eleventh game that Darderi secured the decisive break, then closed out the set 7-5 on the next service game.

The Italian finished the match with 15 aces and a total of 147 points, compared to his opponent’s 130. It wasn’t an easy debut, especially in the second half of the match, but it was enough to secure his qualification and continue his run in New York.