ATP Santiago: Darderi Claims Fifth Career Title, All on Clay

On March 2nd Beijing time, 24-year-old Italian tennis player Darderi triumphed over Hanfmann with a score of 7-6(6)/7-5 in the ATP250 Santiago championship match, earning his fifth career tour title. The clay-court adept enjoyed a successful run during the February South American clay circuit, which included a runner-up finish at the ATP250 Buenos Aires tournament a fortnight earlier (falling to F. Cerundolo in the final).

Darderi Crowned Champion at Santiago Tournament

All five of Darderi's championship titles have come on clay courts. Since capturing his maiden title at the 2024 Cordoba Open, he has added three more victories in 2025 at Marrakech, Bastad, and Umag. With this Santiago win, Darderi's tally of tour-level clay titles since 2024 now surpasses that of Alcaraz, placing him at the top of the men's tennis rankings in this category.

"It feels absolutely amazing. I didn't expect to win the title here this week because my previous best result here never went beyond the quarterfinals, so I'm incredibly happy," Darderi stated after the match. "This is my second final of the year, and winning a title so early in the season is very significant for me. It gives me tremendous confidence for the remainder of the year."

Coupled with Cobolli's victory in Acapulco, this marks the fifth time in the Open Era that two Italian players have won ATP tour titles in the same week. The duo previously achieved this feat in March of last year, when Darderi won the Marrakech title and Cobolli triumphed in Bucharest.

Although Darderi's world ranking (No.21) remained unchanged this week, he narrowed the points gap with No.20 F. Cerundolo to just 66 points, bringing his goal of breaking into the Top 20 for the first time within close reach.

Darderi's Path to the Title

First Round: Bye

Second Round: 6-3/3-6/6-4 Navone

Quarterfinal: 6-3/3-6/6-2 Pellegrino[Q]

Semifinal: 6-4/6-3 Baez[3]

Final: 7-6(6)/7-5 Hanfmann

(Text & Editor/Wang Fei, Image/Visual China Group)