Carlos Alcaraz & Luciano Darderi to face off at the US Open

ATP Tour

Darderi has waited more than 7 years for another shot at Alcaraz. Now, he's got it.

Former junior rivals to face off Friday at the US Open

Ishika Samant/Getty Images Luciano Darderi in action during his second-round victory against Eliot Spizzirri at the US Open. By Andy West

When Carlos Alcaraz and Luciano Darderi step onto Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday at the US Open, it will mark a full-circle moment for the former junior rivals.

Alcaraz’s rise to becoming the youngest No. 1 in PIF ATP Rankings history and a five-time major titlist has been one of the dominant storylines in global sport across the past few years. In that time, he and Darderi have never faced each other, yet the Italian was one of those who was there at the dawn of Alcaraz’s stunning rise to the top.

“We’ve known each other since we were 14 and 15, when we played in the semi-finals of a tournament in France,” the No. 34 in the PIF ATP Rankings Darderi told ATPTour.com in New York. “I lost to him 7-5 in the third. It was a European competition, Italy against Spain. That was the last time we played. I remember he already played amazing at that point. Those weeks he had just started training with [Juan Carlos] Ferrero.

“I remember he told me, ‘Now I’m going to train with Ferrero’, and then a week later he beat [Federico] Gaio, a guy who was No. 120 in the world at one point. Then at 16 he started to play even more amazing, and from then he never stopped. He deserves it because he’s a good guy. I like the way he plays, he’s really funny. Playing against him on this court is going to be amazing.”

Although their respective tennis journeys quickly went in different directions after their 2018 junior encounter, Darderi was touched when Alcaraz sent him a congratulatory message via social media after he lifted his maiden ATP Tour title in Cordoba in 2024. A fellow fluent Spanish speaker (although Darderi represents Italy, he was born and grew up in Argentina), the 23-year-old still speaks fondly about that interaction.

“The first title is special at the beginning of your career, and he wrote that to me,” recalled Darderi. “So I appreciated that he sent me that message. It felt so good that he was even thinking about it, because it is not easy when he had already won so much and was No. 1. We had lost contact a little bit because he had gone up so much, so fast, and we played different tournaments.”

“He’s an amazing guy. It’s really great, because it doesn’t matter that he’s No. 1 or No. 2 in the world, he’s still the same person.”

Darderi is 27-19 for the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, with 21 of those wins coming on clay. He is joint-second, alongside Alexander Bublik, for the most tour-level singles titles won in 2025 having lifted trophies in Marrakech, Bastad and Umag. Alcaraz, with six titles, is the only man ahead of him on that list.

“Three ATP Tour titles this year is a lot, I feel really good about that. Including two in a row on clay,” said Darderi, who has defeated Rinky Hijikata and Eliot Spizzirri so far in New York. “[My run here] is different, but I think I deserve it. I’ve worked all my life to be here, at the US Open in the third round, so it’s impressive for me. To be seeded at a major for the first time also, with the pressure, it is not easy to play.”

While it may surprise some that Darderi’s first third-round appearance at a major has not come on the clay of Roland Garros, he offers a simple explanation for his relative dearth of wins away from the red dirt.

“I haven’t played too much on hard courts, which is why I don’t have so many wins,” said Darderi, who is 4-7 on hard so far this year. “But I think I have more confidence now, particularly from this last match and [last week in] Winston-Salem too. I feel really confident, they are my first matches in a row on hard courts, and I am very happy to play like this here.”

In July, Darderi won back-to-back titles in Bastad (pictured) and Umag. Photo: Bjorn Larsson Rosvall/TT News Agency/AFP via Getty

Darderi’s progress will be put to the ultimate test in his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Alcaraz. Not only will he have to deal with the Spaniard’s world-class game, but he will also have to adjust quickly to competing in the biggest purpose-built tennis stadium in the world.

“I only entered Arthur Ashe Stadium once before, to make a video,” revealed Darderi. “I will just try to play my best. I have nothing to lose if Carlos wins, and the pressure is on him. So I will try to play at my maximum, enjoy it and try to win.

“He’s one of the best, he has more experience here, but I think it’s a match to play. He’s No. 2, I am No. 34, but it can happen.”

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