Golden Swing Full Of Breakthroughs And Heartbreaks For Darderi And Cerundolo

Luciano Darderi, ATP Tour, Santiago
Luciano Darderi (photo: Mathias Donoso/Movistar Chile Open)

SANTIAGO/WASHINGTON, March 1, 2024 (by Michael Dickens)

Juan Manuel Cerundolo of Argentina, the younger brother of World No. 20 Francisco Cerundolo, is a former Top-10 junior, who achieved a career-high No. 79 in January 2022 after winning a trio of Challenger titles (Rome, Como, Banja Luka) in five finals during the 2021 season.

Juan Manuel Cerundolo

Juan Manuel Cerundolo (photo: Mathias Donoso/Movistar Chile Open)

His breakthrough came three years ago when, as a 19-year-old qualifier ranked No. 335, the Argentine lefty won eight matches in nine days on the Golden Swing through Argentina, Brazil and Chile to earn his first ATP Tour title at Cordoba in his ATP Tour debut.

Now 22 and ranked 161st, the Buenos Aires native who comes from an athletic family, was trying to reach his fourth ATP Tour quarterfinal at the Movistar Chile Open Thursday afternoon – and third on clay, his favorite surface – following 2021 and 2023 at Cordoba.

Cerundolo began the day 0-2 in second-round matches in Santiago, having missed a match point to make the quarterfinals versus Dusan Lajovic of Serbia last year. After duking it out for two hours and 18 minutes with Italian wild card Luciano Darderi, he’s now 0-3, after losing 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

Although this was Cerundolo’s first tour-level main draw meeting with the 80th-ranked Darderi, they had met four times previously – including earlier this month in qualifying for the Rio, won by Cerundolo, 6-2, 6-2.

This time, though, it came down to a couple of service breaks, including in the eighth game of the final set, that made the difference between a Golden Swing victory for Darderi and a tough defeat for Cerundolo.

“Physically and mentally it’s tough playing so many matches,” Cerundolo admitted, after winning two qualifying rounds and his first-round match against No. 5 seed Yannick Hanfmann of Germany.

Darderi finished with seven aces, won 77 percent of his first-serve points converted three of five break point chances and outpointed Cerundolo 89-82. The Argentine was able to convert only two of eight break-point opportunities. Patience was a great virtue on this warm Chilean afternoon.

Like Cerundolo, Darderi is also a former Top-10 junior player, who achieved a career-high No. 76 earlier this month after winning his first ATP Tour singles title in Cordoba, in just the third final between two qualifiers since the ATP Tour was established in 1990.

Born in Argentina, the 22-year-old Darderi started playing tennis at age four with his father Luciano Enrique, a former tennis player and his current coach. He compiled a 75-56 win-loss record on the ATP Challenger Tour and won a pair of titles last year, at Todi and Lima 2.

After enduring a late-night finish to beat lucky loser Facundo Bagnis of Argentina, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (6), 7-6 (5), in a rematch of their Cordoba final – coupled with his win over Cerundolo – Darderi is 8-1 to start the 2024 season. He is through to the quarterfinal round in Santiago – the first Italian to go this far in the tournament’s history – against No. 4 seed Alejandro Tabilo of Chile, who eliminated fellow Chilean and doubles partner, Tomas Barrios Vera, 6-2, 7-5, Thursday evening. Tabilo, who faced no break points, outpointed his opponent 71-51.

“I’ve been training in Chile for more than a week, so I’m getting into the tournament at a good pace,” Darderi said in his post-match news conference. “I’m already psyched for what’s coming in the quarterfinals with a crowd against me. Playing in Chile is more pressure for them than for me.”

Rio champion Baez extends winning streak to six

Just four days after winning his fifth and biggest ATP Tour title at the Rio Open, second seed Sebastian Baez of Argentina defeated Peru’s Juan Pablo Varillas, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, to advance to Friday’s quarterfinals. The victory extended his career head-to-head against the 119th-ranked Peruvian to 4-0. It also extended the No. 21 Baez’s winning streak to six matches, and he ended February with an 11-2 win-loss record after reaching the Cordoba semifinals and Buenos Aires quarterfinals during the Golden Swing of South American countries.

“I thought in the first set I had many chances to take the break and to do better in the important moments. But sometimes I can’t take everything,” said Baez, after dropping the first set from a break up at 4-3.

“But I’m happy to take the match because we know each other so much from years ago, from the Futures and Challengers. I know him, I know he’s playing so good. So, I’m happy to be in the next round and for sure I have to be focussed on my next opponent. It will be a difficult match for sure.”

Baez’s quarterfinal opponent will be No. 8 seed Jaume Munar of Spain, ranked 70th, who eliminated fellow Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas, 6-3, 6-1, in an hour and 32 minutes. Munar outpointed the 104th-ranked Ramos-Vinolas 63-41. It was his second win in five meetings.

Around the Movistar Chile Open

• Chilean great Jaime Fillol, 77, who played professionally from the 1960s-80s and was once ranked as high as No. 14 – and for whom the main show Court at the Movistar Chile Open is named – appeared for a conversation about his new book, Huellas en la arcilla (Footprints in the clay) and a book signing at the Club Deportivo Universidad Catolica on Wednesday.

• Doubles No. 1 seeds Marcelo Melo of Brazil and Matwe Middelkoop of the Netherlands advanced to the semifinals with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Boris Arias and Federico Zeballos of Bolivia.

On Wednesday, No. 3 seeds Nicolas Barrientos of Colombia and Rafael Matos of Brazil, winners of last week’s Rio Open doubles title, advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 7-6 (6) win over Fernando Romboli and Marcelo Zormann of Brazil. Then, on Thursday, they reached the semifinals with a 7-6 (4), 4-6, 11-9 win over Diego Hidalgo of Ecuador and Cristian Rodríguez of Colombia.

Thursday’s Movistar Chile Open results

Friday’s Movistar Chile Open order of play

By the numbers

Wild card Luciano Darderi of Italy is through to his second ATP Tour quarterfinal after winning his maiden title at Cordoba three weeks ago. The 80th-ranked Darderi is the first Italian quarterfinalist in the five-year history of the tournament.

“Quotable…”

“Winning the first set always helps the winner and distracts the loser. In the second set, I improved on returns and pressed a little harder with my forehand. Physically, I’m very good.”

–Top seed Nicolas Jarry of Chile during his post-match news conference following his second-round win over Federico Coria of Argentina Wednesday evening.

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