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Match Details
Fixture: (16) Frances Tiafoe vs Luciano Darderi
Date: April 26, 2025
Tournament: Mutua Madrid Open 2025
Round: Second Round (Round of 64)
Venue: Caja Magica, Madrid, Spain
Surface: Clay
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Prize Money: $8,619,262
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN | India - Sony LIV
Frances Tiafoe vs Luciano Darderi preview
16th-seeded Frances Tiafoe will face Italy's Luciano Darderi in the second round of the 2025 Madrid Masters on Saturday (April 26).
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Tiafoe has endured a tough season on the ATP Tour in 2025, dropping nine of his 10 tour-level matches thus far. While the American finished runner-up in Houston earlier this month, his performance during this year's European clay swing has been concerning.
The 27-year-old lost his last two matches in Monte Carlo and Barcelona despite having led his respective victors, Alexei Popyrin and Jaume Munar, by a set.
Having received a first-round Bye in Madrid, the former World No. 10 will be eager to match his career-best result of reaching the third round at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament. His next opponent will be Luciano Darderi, who finely started his claycourt campaign by winning the Grand Prix Hassan II a few weeks ago.
The World No. 46 followed up on the above result by reaching the quarterfinals of the BMW Open. He has carried his rich vein of form into the Madrid Open this week, defeating France's Quentin Halys 6-4, 6-4 to reach the second round on Thursday (April 24).
Frances Tiafoe vs Luciano Darderi head-to-head
Tiafoe leads Darderi 1-0 in their head-to-head meetings on the ATP Tour. The American defeated the Italian in the semifinals of the 2024 U.S. Men's Claycourt Championships in straight sets.
Frances Tiafoe vs Luciano Darderi odds
(Odds will be updated once available)
Frances Tiafoe vs Luciano Darderi prediction
Tiafoe has lately struggled with getting enough depth on his groundstrokes. The American still has world-class endurance, though, which allows him to stay in long rallies despite the lack of weight in his baseline game.
Darderi, however, will be looking to exploit the above weaknesses in his higher-ranked opponent's game. Despite being a claycourt specialist, the 23-year-old hits hard from both wings. Moreover, his flat shotmaking will be well-suited to the low-bouncing courts at Caja Magica, giving him a slight edge in this interesting match-up.
Pick: Darderi to win in three sets.
