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2 Mar 2026 | 16.15
Luciano Darderi continues to carve out his own history on clay courts. The Italian, born in Villa Gesell (Argentina), was crowned champion of the ATP 250 Santiago 2026 after defeating the German Yannick Hanfmann with a 7-6(6), 7-5 victory, thus securing the fifth ATP title of his career. At just 24 years old, having recently celebrated his birthday in February, his consolidation in the tennis elite is starting to become a reality.
The triumph in Chile is not just another one. Since the beginning of 2024, Darderi has the most ATP titles on clay courts (5), surpassing even Carlos Alcaraz's record (4) in that period. His finals record (5-1) speaks of an uncommon competitiveness. But most importantly, he is not just a clay-court player. His evolution as a tennis player points to achieving even greater heights on hard courts as well.
Dominance on clay courts reaching further
If there's something that defines Darderi as a tennis player, it’s his grit, and in Santiago, he once again demonstrated that undeniable character. For example, in the final against Hanfmann, he managed to overcome critical situations in both sets. In the first set, seeing his opponent recover after a slow start, and by gritting his teeth to push for the tie-break, he was able to seal the deal at the crucial moment. He won just two points more than Hanfmann throughout the set, the two that helped him secure victory in the tiebreaker. Also, in the second set, where he recovered from an early break to ultimately close out the match on his serve.
His five titles —Córdoba 2024, Marrakech, Bastad, and Umag in 2025, and now Santiago 2026— have all been achieved on clay. "It's a great moment. I didn't expect to win here this week because I had never gone beyond the quarterfinals. This title gives me a lot of confidence for the rest of the year," acknowledged Darderi at the end of the final. His forehand is a weapon, and his serve has noticeably improved in recent months. But the most exciting aspect lies in his development on hard courts.
At this year's Australian Open, he reached the round of 16 of a Grand Slam for the first time, where he fell to Jannik Sinner. However, his performance, defeating opponents like Karen Khachanov along the way, showed that his tennis is beginning to thrive on bigger stages and faster surfaces.
Top 10 on the horizon?
With his title in Santiago, Darderi has climbed to No. 21 in the ATP rankings, the highest of his career, and is only 66 points away from the Top 20. His ceiling still remains somewhat unclear, but if he can transfer his consistency to Masters 1000 tournaments, there is nothing stopping the Italian from dreaming of seeing his name among the world's top ten someday.
In the midst of past controversies regarding his decision to represent Italy rather than Argentina —a matter he settled by expressing his desire to play Davis Cup with the Italian team— his personal story is also touching: he celebrated his victory in Chile by kissing the tattoo with the name of his grandmother Elisa, who gifted him his first racket and supported him financially in his early tennis days.
At 24 years old and with five titles under his belt, Darderi has transitioned from being an up-and-comer to becoming a reality on the circuit. The only question surrounding his future is whether he can maintain this level across all playing conditions and sustain it consistently throughout the season.
Cette actualité est une traduction automatique. Vous pouvez lire la nouvelle originale Darderi es una realidad: de la Babolat de la abuela Elisa a las puertas del Top20
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