Rafa Jodar lost at dawn in the quarterfinals of the Rome Masters 1000 against the local team Luciano Darderi, 7-6(5), 5-7 and 6-0. Darderi turned around a 5-2 deficit in the sudden death of the opening set and put down fear against a rival that ended up defeated. The situation was reminiscent of the Godó semifinal with Arthur Fils. Before, The game was suspended for 15 minutes due to smoke. of the fireworks at the Olympic Stadium in Rome where the Coppa Italia final had been held.
Jódar brakes in the penultimate round, but he leaves Rome as the world’s top 30, which ensures that he will be seeded in the next edition of Roland Garros (May 24 to June 7).
Rafa needs rest until the great of the land, especially if you take into account the accumulation of matches in his legs. He has played 18 since the clay tour began in Marrakech and in the third set he looked visibly tired.
The young man from Leganés, at 19 years and seven months old, was able to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the first set. Darderi imposed his status as an ‘earthling’.
Not in vain, all five of his titles are on clay and he is the one with the most duels in his favor on the surface since 2024. The 55 wins tie him with Francisco Cerúndolo.
Reaction without reward
Despite trailing 3-0 in the second half, Jódar continued to fight until the end. He was able to tie the second set with three games in a row.
He then raised the first two elimination balls, with 5-4. He did it with a devastating forehand and a long backhand from his rival. He wanted to win so much that he made it to the third set alive.. There I couldn’t take it anymore. His body language gave him away. He lost at two in the morning.
Darderi will face off in the semi-finals on Friday Casper Ruud, Karen Khachanov’s executioner in three sets.
