Luciano Darderi in the quarters in Hamburg, as well as Fabio Fognini, who is miraculously saved, in Gstaad

Luciano Darderi in the quarters in Hamburg, as well as Fabio Fognini, who is miraculously saved, in Gstaad

Two Italians in the quarterfinals on European clay this week. In the ATP 500 d Hamburg Luciano Darderi, world number 35, beat Russian competing for the colors of Kazakhstan Aleksandr Shevchenko, number 56, 6-3 2-6 6-3 in just under two hours.

Yet another positive result for the Italian-Argentinean who is having a truly fabulous 2024 that sees him in the Race, the ranking of this year’s results alone, at number 25. He will now face the winner between Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic and Argentina’s Sebastian Baez.

But the biggest feat was accomplished, at the Swiss Open in Gstaad, an ATP 250 tournament, by Fabio Fognini. The Ligurian, number 80 in the world, remounted and folded after more than two hours and three quarters of play the Peruvian Juan Pablo Varillas with a score of 3-6 7-6 7-5.

It was a miraculous comeback for the 37-year-old from Arma di Taggia who at 6-3 5-3 saved two break points that were also two match points, recovered and then at the tie-break prevailed 7-5, so as by 7-5 won a third set full of emotions. In the next round Fognini will face the winner between Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece and Hamad Medjedovic of Serbia.