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Luciano Darderi vs Mariano Navone: Cagliari Challenger – semifinal

Two rising stars Luciano Darderi and Mariano Navone will go against each other in the semifinal of the Cagliari Challenger.

Luciano Darderi Profile

Luciano Darderi is currently having the best rankings in his career, being No. 60 in the world. The Italian is 18-9 for the season and 18-7 on clay surfaces.

In the semifinals of the tournament, Federico Coria retired in the second set, which saw Darderi move to the final. Earlier this week, he defeated Camilo Ugo Carabelli and Thiago Tirante.

The 22-year-old won his first ATP title this season in Cordoba, defeating Facundo Bagnis 6-1, 6-4 in the final. He also made it to the semifinals in Houston, where he lost to Frances Tiafoe.

Mariano Navone Profile

Mariano Navone is also as high as he has ever been in the ATP rankings, being No. 41 in the world. The Argentinian is 22-9 for the season and 22-8 on clay courts.

Navone is coming off a 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 semifinal win against Emilio Nava. Previously, he defeated Shintaro Mochizuki in three sets.

Last week, Navone made it to the second round of the Masters in Madrid, where he lost to Holger Rune.

He has played in three finals so far in the season but has failed to win a single title. In the final in Bucharest, he lost to Marton Fucsovics; in Rio de Janeiro, to Sebastian Baez, and at the Challenger in Buenos Aires, to Facundo Bagnis.

Head-to-Head – Tie 2-2

• Navone vs Darderi 6-2, 6-3 (2024 ATP Bucharest, first round)
• Darderi vs Navone 6-2, 6-1 (2024 ATP Buenos Aires, first round)
• Darderi vs Navone 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 (2023 Lima Challenger, final)
• Navone vs Darderi 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 (2023 Buenos Aires Challenger, semifinal)

Prediction and Conclusion

Dardieri and Navone are two of the rising stars on the tour, and both of them play on clay surfaces most of the time. They have built a sort of rivalry, splitting four matches in the last two seasons. Being on the same level as they are at the moment, both players have ups and downs, which is visible in their last two encounters, as both players had one blowout win. However, Darderi has a better week in Cagliari, where he plays in front of the home fans. Navone barely survived the decisive tiebreak in the semifinal and had a couple of medical days out, which raises a question about his current state. Therefore, we go with Darderi to win this match and advance to the final.