Bastad (Sweden), July 18: Andrey Rublev and Luciano Darderi will be clashing in the final of the Nordea Open ATP 250 series event after both bounced back from second-set setbacks in their respective semifinals on Saturday to set a title showdown between two former champions in Bastad.
Top seed Rublev defeated Alejandro Tabilo 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to reach his second Bastad final, while defending champion Darderi outlasted Adolfo Daniel Vallejo 6-4, 6-7(11), 6-3 in a gripping two-hour, 57-minute battle. Rublev, the 2023 champion at the Swedish ATP 250 clay court event, leads Darderi 1-0 in the pair's ATP head-to-head series heading into Sunday's final.
“I feel great. I feel happy to be back in the final here in Bastad,” said Rublev, who is into his 30th tour-level final. “It’s tough to describe the emotions now. I just feel grateful for another opportunity to play in the final here. He’s [Darderi] a great player. He’s playing better and better. It’s not going to be easy, for sure,” he was quoted as saying by the ATP Tour on its official website.
After also reaching the Barcelona final in April, Rublev has now advanced to multiple tour-level finals in eight consecutive seasons. The 28-year-old will bid for his 18th ATP Tour title on Sunday, while Darderi is chasing the sixth trophy of his career.
Rublev’s composed deciding-set win against Tabilo marked his 100th tour-level clay-court win. Earlier in the day, Darderi also reached a milestone, claiming his 20th clay-court victory of the season to draw level with Roland Garros champion Alexander Zverev for the most on the ATP Tour in 2026.
Darderi was pushed to the limit in the opening semi-final. The 24-year-old Italian converted his 13th set point to edge the first set before letting three match points slip away in a dramatic second-set tie-break. Yet Darderi reset impressively in the decider to extend his perfect Bastad record to 8-0, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.
“My room is right here, so I’m going to rest right now,” Darderi said in his on-court interview. “I’m really tired after three hours. I just want to sleep.”
--IANS
