Luciano Darderi lights up the night at Foto Italico. He wins a battle that lasts over three hours, ending at 2:00 a.m., and advances to the semifinals of the Internazionali d'Italia .

The Italian-Argentine defeated rising Spanish star Rafael Jodar in three sets, 7-6, 5-7, 6-0 . This was another excellent victim for Darderi, who had already defeated underdogs Tommy Paul and Alexander Zverev.

A dramatic match at times, also interrupted by the smoke that invaded the Centrale del Foro during Inter's Coppa Italia celebrations.

Darderi wins a hard-fought first set 7-6, then takes a 3-0 lead and wastes two break points to make it 4-0 in the second. Jodar comes back, saves two match points, and wins the second set 7-5 .

But the Italian, who seemed to have no more energy, didn't give up, and the start of the third set proved decisive: Darderi first held serve and then broke at the end of a seemingly endless game that lasted over a quarter of an hour. At this point, he regained his energy and confidence, and it was the young Spaniard who collapsed, ending with cramps and not winning another game. At 2 a.m., after more than three hours of battle, Darderi finished the match in front of a crowd that was half-depleted but euphoric with his feat. In the semifinals, he faced Norway's Casper Ruud.

At 1pm it's Sinner's turn, who faces Andrei Rublev in the quarterfinals.

(Unioneonline/L)

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