Welcome to the top 30: Luciano Darderi’s Genova win seals career milestone

The Italian Luciano Darderi won the Challenger 125 Genova Open title—where he was the first seed—and will debut in the Top 30 for the first time in his career on Monday. The 23-year-old took advantage of the second week of the US Open after being eliminated in the third round and entered a Challenger that earned him important ranking points.

It's common for some players who usually compete in ATP-level tournaments to take advantage of early eliminations in Grand Slams. They enter a Challenger during the second week to maintain their competitive rhythm or earn points while most of the top players are still in the major or out of the competition.

This time, Darderi was the big winner of a Challenger week. He participated in a draw in his native Italy on clay courts with some players who had been eliminated early from the US Open, such as Thiago Monteiro, Thiago Tirante, and Pedro Martinez. The draw was primarily filled with Italians who hoped to take advantage of a week on slow courts to rack up wins and ranking points.

Darderi had already made a name for himself during the clay season this year after winning three titles. His first professional title was in 2024 at the Cordoba Open, but this year, between April and July, he won three more ATP 250 titles in Marrakech, Bastad, and Umag.

Darderi's Journey from Flushing Meadows to Genoa

Darderi arrived in Genoa with a wildcard after his elimination in Flushing Meadows. He was the 32nd seed and easily overcame the first two rounds against Rinji Hijikata and Eliot Spizzirri but fell in the Round of 32 to Carlos Alcaraz (6-2, 6-4, 6-0) on Friday, August 29.

After this, Darderi traveled to his native Italy and received a wildcard for the Genova Open, where he was the first seed. Just three days later, he made his main draw debut, defeating his compatriot Federico Arnaboldi in straight sets. It was a remarkable week for Darderi, who went on to beat Dmitri Popko, Thiago Monteiro, Tom Gentzsch, and Andre Pellegrino in the final. This earned him another 125 ATP ranking points—and as a result—the possibility of moving up four positions in the ATP Ranking.

Darderi reached his best-ever ranking as World No. 30—also thanks to the points he earned at the US Open—and will debut in the group of the Top 30 for the first time in his career. He becomes the fourth Italian currently in the Top 30, led by Jannik Sinner (No. 1), in addition to Lorenzo Musetti (No. 9) and Flavio Cobolli (No. 25).

This is undoubtedly another piece of great news for Italian tennis. All of its representatives are currently between 23 and 24 years old, positioning themselves with many years ahead to stay at the top level. Italy, along with the USA, is one of two countries with four representatives in the Top 30. The Americans have Taylor Fritz (No. 5), Ben Shelton (No. 6), Tommy Paul (No. 15), and Frances Tiafoe (No. 29).

Darderi was born in Argentina and holds dual Argentine and Italian citizenship, thanks to his grandfather Fano, who emigrated to the South American country at a young age. Although he initially represented Argentina, he chose to compete under the Italian flag since his adolescence, joining the legion of Italians who currently dominate the ATP Tour.

Match Statistics Darderi vs. Gentzsch