Darderi excels on return to clay ‘comfort zone’ in Buenos Aires

Five months away from clay was not enough to stop Luciano Darderi from making a typically assured return to the surface Thursday at the IEB+ Argentina Open.

The second-seeded Italian powered to a 6-1, 6-3 opening-round victory against Tomas Barrios Vera at the ATP 250 in Buenos Aires to pick up where he left off on his favourite surface in 2025. Darderi, who lifted two ATP Tour titles (Bastad, Umag) and an ATP Challenger Crown (Genoa) in his most recent appearances on clay, needed just 82 minutes against Barrios Vera to extend his winning streak on the surface to 15 matches.

Brilliant from start to finish 🏁@Lucianodarderi_ blasts his way past Barrios Vera 6-1, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals in Buenos Aires.@iebmasargopen | #ArgOpen2026 pic.twitter.com/D2x9IUKK5x

— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 12, 2026

“It’s the first match on clay after [five] months playing on hard, but I feel really comfortable here on clay,” said Darderi, who reached the fourth-round on the hard courts of the Australian Open last month. “Today was a really good match and I felt really good. In the second set, he started to play better but I’m really happy to be in the quarter-finals here again.”

Competing at a career-high No. 22 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Darderi converted five of nine break points he earned against Barrios Vera, according to Infosys ATP Stats. The 23-year-old could secure his rise into the Top 20 for the first time if he can lift his fifth ATP Tour title this week. Standing in Darderi’s way next in the Argentine capital will be Pedro Martinez, who overcame home favourite Juan Manuel Cerundolo 7-6(5), 6-4.

Home favourites Sebastian Baez and Camilo Ugo Carabelli also advanced. Baez, seeded fourth, raced past Peru’s Ignacio Buse 6-4, 6-3 while Ugo Carabelli downed countryman Mariano Navone 6-2, 7-5.

Baez is into his 25th tour-level quarter-final, tied for the seventh-most amongst players born in the 2000s.

Ugo Carabelli last week was crowned champion at the Rosario Challenger and has since extended his winning streak to seven matches across all levels.

Baez and Ugo Carabelli will face each other in the quarter-finals, marking their fifth Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting (Baez leads 3-1).

[NEWSLETTER FORM]