Italian Open 2024 Day 1 Recap – Perfect Tennis

Main draw action at the 2024 Internazionali BNL d’Italia got underway on Wednesday, and it was a solid day for the homegrown talent, with Luciano Darderi and Flavio Cobolli booking their spots in the second round.

More Italians were slated to be on the court later in the day, but rain disrupted play twice. The first delay occurred in the late afternoon, and although players got back on the court in the early evening, it was only an hour before the showers set in, and play was suspended for the day.

The weather notably impacted Francesco Passaro’s match against Arthur Rinderknech. He’d recovered from 3-5 down in the second set before play was suspended when the qualifier was about to serve for the set at 6-5.

Outside of play, Matteo Berrettini withdrew from the event after stating his body was not ready for high-intensity play.

Will it ever be? He’s missed Madrid and Rome for three consecutive years and seems to have one of those body types that breaks down all too easily. He’s replaced in the draw by lucky loser JJ Wolf.

You can see the results from day one below.

Day One Italian Open 2024 Round of 128 Results

Darderi Delights Home Fans

Luciano Darderi came through a gruelling three-hour match on the Centrale court, narrowly defeating Denis Shapovalov 6-7 (4), 6-3, 7-6 (4).

The match was filled with dramatic shifts, and Shapovalov nearly clinched the win while serving at 5-4 in the third set.

However, Darderi, buoyed by the partisan albeit sparse crowd, showed tenacity and mental strength, coming from behind to secure the victory.

The tale of the tape was as you’d expect in a match featuring a flashy shotmaker like Shapo. Darderi earned the win with consistent and solid play, especially during crucial points, outperforming Shapovalov, who, despite setting a fast pace with explosive winners, committed too many errors with low-percentage plays.

After splitting the opening two sets, the third set showcased Shapovalov’s flair with some spectacular plays to recover from 2-4 down. However, after winning three games in a row, he failed to serve out the match at 5-4 and couldn’t convert two break points at 5-5.

The match culminated in a tiebreak, and Darderi, who looked to be suffering from a leg injury, took control. He maintained the mini-break he earned at 3-3 and clinched the victory on his first match point after Shapovalov misfired badly on a short ball.

Other Matches of Note

Cobolli Makes Strong Start: A good 6-4, 6-2 win for the Italian over Maxime Marterer in an hour and sixteen minutes.

Monteiro Moves Past Monfils: The Frenchman prefers faster surfaces now that he’s in the twilight of his career, and Monteiro was too solid – 6-2, 7-5.

Vukic Vaporises Schwartzman: 6-2 6-2 for the Aussie to take out the qualifier Schwartzman, who plans to retire next year in Buenos Aires.

Italian Open 2024 Day 2 Round of 128 Matches