Montreal (Canada) (AFP) – Italian Luciano Darderi fuelled himself with an espresso shot during a mid-match changeover in a 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory over Nuno Borges on Saturday to reach the Montreal Masters quarter-finals. It was not the first time Darderi had downed his national rocket fuel to fire up the afterburners in a tight situation on court.
Darderi will bid for the semis against Brandon Nakashima, whose match with Arthur Rinderknech was interrupted for nearly two hours with the final set level at 4-4. Players were taken off court due to rain and the threat of lightning, returning to finish after almost two hours. Nakashima withstood a love game from his French opponent but broke serve a game later before finishing a 7-6 (7/4), 5-7, 7-5 victory on his first match point thanks to 22 unforced errors from Rinderknech.
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“Coming out after the break I knew I had to fire at the beginning,” the American said after reaching his first Masters quarter-final. “This happened pretty quickly. I needed to stay focused and go for it when I had opportunities. My level is growing with each match and I’m trying to make the most of it.”
ATP number 22 Darderi will be playing in an ATP-leading 10th quarter-final of the season after earning his 30th victory of 2026. Darderi will be playing in his second Masters last-eight of the season after achieving the quarters last May at home in Rome. The 24-year-old overcame more than 40 winners off the racquet of his Portuguese opponent, starting his comeback in the second set with a 5-2 lead and carrying momentum into the third.
Darderi broke for 4-3 as Borges double-faulted but lost his own serve moments later for 4-all. The Italian got an insurance break for 6-5 as a net cord bounced out for Borges, then served out the triumph with an ace on match point a game later.
“This is my first Masters quarter-final on hardcourt so I’m very pleased,” the winner said. “I like the conditions here and the crowd helped me in the third set. I deserved this win. I’ve improved my hardcourt game a lot. I try to play every match at full power. Playing well on hard is good for me after starting (my career) on clay.”
© 2024 AFP
