Casper Ruud secured his place in the Italian Open final, overcoming Luciano Darderi. The victory means Ruud will compete for the title against either Jannik Sinner or Daniil Medvedev.
Ruud’s Road to the Final
Ruud defeated Darderi 6-1, 6-1. The match was temporarily halted due to a nearly two-hour rain delay, with Ruud leading 4-1 in the first set when play was suspended. Ruud maintained his focus after the delay.
Ruud has dropped only one set in Rome this year against Karen Khachanov in the quarterfinals.
Sinner or Medvedev Next
Ruud will face either top-ranked Jannik Sinner or former No. 1 Daniil Medvedev in Sunday’s final on the red clay of the Foro Italico. Sinner and Medvedev were playing later.
Gauff to Play Svitolina
Coco Gauff is set to play Elina Svitolina in the women’s final on Saturday.
Rome as French Open Warm-Up
Rome is the last big warm-up before the French Open starts in nine days. Ruud has reached two finals at Roland Garros, losing to Rafael Nadal in 2022 and Novak Djokovic in 2023.
Ruud was once ranked as high as No. 2. He’s now No. 25 but will return to the top 20 on Monday.
Darderi’s Italian Open Run
The 20th-ranked Darderi, who was born in Argentina to a family of Italian descent, saved four match points in a three-set win over Alexander Zverev in the fourth round then won another marathon match against Rafael Jodar in a quarterfinal that ended at 2 a.m.
Ruud is set to compete in the Italian Open final on Sunday.