Rome: Luciano Darderi in the second round after a three-hour battle

Luciano Darderi – Denis Shapovalov 6-7 6-3 7-6

Luciano Darderi flies to the second round of the Internazionali d'Italia after a battle of more than three hours against Denis Shapovalov, number 126 in the ATP rankings. The Italian overcame the Canadian in a comeback, winning at the tie-break of the third set with the final score of 6-7 6-3 7-6 in his favor.

Darderi got off to a bad start, surrendering his serve in the first two turnovers. Shapovalov però did not take advantage of this, getting his opponent back twice. The first set thus ended in the tie-break, which the Canadian won 7 points to 4. In the second set, at 2-2, Shapovalov surrendered with a bad serve, Darderi got the break and repeated it in the ninth game (6-3) taking the challenge to the third and decisive set.

In the third partial, Darderi snatches the serve from Shapovalov in the sixth game and flies ahead 4-2. Here forò comes the reaction of Shapovalov who string three consecutive games and goes to serve for the match at 5-4. The Canadian però does not take advantage of the opportunity and it goes again to the tie-break, stavola won by the blue with the same score: 7 to 4.

Darderi thus centrave; his second victory in a Masters 1000, gaining access to the second round of the Internazionali d'Italia where he will face the Argentine Mariano Navone, seeded number 28 on the scoreboard, and fresh winner of the Cagliari Challenger, in which he overcame Lorenzo Musetti in the final.