Luciano Darderi clinched his third title of the season at the Croatia Open, before keeling over in pain as his opponent rushed to the other side of the net. The Italian defeated Carlos Taberner 6-3 6-3, following up his ATP 250 win in Bastad last week, but on the final point he fell to the floor and signalled that he was in distress.
It had been one of the world No. 35’s best wins, moving him up 11 spots in the rankings, having won nine consecutive matches. In 86 minutes he made 20 winners to 17 unforced errors and was in total command from the first break, a stunning forehand winner at 3-2 int he opening set.
Taberner had upset top seed Francisco Cerundolo on his way to a first tour-level final, but was no match for Darderi. He is now 19-1 on clay in 2025 against players outside of the top 30, but had an almighty scare at the end of the match.
In the final game and on the verge of victory, Darderi appeared to roll his ankle while soaring to match point. He then struggled to move and limped across the court, but was still able to secure victory with an incredible shot down the line, which Taberner could only return into the net.
Darderi collapsed to the floor, in celebration but also because he was unable to put any more pressure on his ankle.
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While sat on the clay, he grabbed his foot and began signalling to the medical staff that he could not get to his feet again.
Once Taberner realised the situation, he rushed to the other side of the court to help Darderi up and eventually offered to carry him to his seat, which ended up being an awkward encounter between two finalists but a heartwarming display of sportsmanship.
The trophy ceremony had to be delayed as Darderi received treatment on the court, before stating his hope that he will be able to recover soon and continue his strong form.
“It is something special for me,” Darderi said. “The last month has been crazy. I just want to thank my dad and my whole team. Without them it would be impossible. I am very happy about the title.
“It was two crazy weeks. If you told me this two weeks ago, I’d say it was impossible. But I am very happy with my performance and my tennis was incredible this week. I will try to rest now and continue to play like this in the next week on hard courts.”