BASTAD/STARNBERG, July 19, 2025
Luciano Darderi and Jesper de Jong will compete in Sunday’s singles final of the Nordea Open in Bastad. The sixth-seeded Italian knocked off top seed Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(3).
Darderi struck five aces and won 73 per cent of his first-service points to seal victory in two hours and 33 minutes.
FIRST TOP 20 WIN!
Luciano Darderi defeats top seed Cerundolo 6-2 3-6 7-6 to advance into the #NordeaOpen final pic.twitter.com/RbGfJf5km2
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) July 19, 2025
“Playing against Francisco is always very tough. Today I played an amazing match, but in front of me I had one of the best players in the world,” said Darderi in his on-court interview. “It’s never easy to play against a friend, too, but I played a great match. I fought until the last point, and I think that was the key to the match today.”
De Jong defeated No. 5 seed Camilo Ugo Carabelli from Argentina 6-3, 7-6(3). The 25-year-old Dutchman capitalized on two of his three break-point chances to advance in one hour and 52 minutes.
De Jong will compete in his maiden title match on the ATP Tour. “I’m very happy to be in my first ATP final. I was a little bit shaky at the end at 6-5, but that happens and it turned out great,” said the World No. 105.
Darderi is seeking his third career title on the ATP Tour. The pair will meet for the first time.
