Luciano Darderi’s run to his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final was already going to stand out. It became even more unusual when smoke from Inter's Coppa Italia celebrations drifted over from the neighbouring Stadio Olimpico and stopped play for almost 20 minutes.
The pause came because visibility was significantly reduced and the electronic line-calling system was also disrupted. Darderi still beat Rafael Jodar 7-6 (7-5) 5-7 6-0 after three hours and eight minutes, with the match beginning only after a rain-hit day had already pushed it close to 11pm.
How the smoke changed the night
Jodar was leading 6-5 in the opening set when the smoke descended on centre court. That is the part of the evening that will linger, but the result itself still matters more than the backdrop: Darderi had to finish a messy, stop-start match and still closed it out in three sets.
Afterwards, Darderi called it "the best win of my career", and it is not hard to see why. This was not a clean, routine progression into the last four. It was a late-night fight played through delays, a broken rhythm and a court that briefly stopped looking like a tennis venue.
What comes next for Darderi
Darderi now moves on to face Norway's Casper Ruud in the semi-finals. The tennis will matter again, but the image from this quarter-final was the smoke hanging over the centre court while Lazio and Inter's Coppa Italia final celebrations filled the air next door.
For Darderi, the breakthrough is the semi-final place. For everyone else who saw it, the delay and the smoke are the details that made the match feel unlike any other at the Italian Open.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
