ATP Umag: The player who will triumph in Croatia
by Cydias Aujard | by Cydias Aujard
ATP Umag: the Darderi option
The 23-year-old Italian Luciano Darderi will be taking part in the Umag tournament. Seeded number 2, he is back in Croatia after being eliminated in the last eight here last year by Czech Jakub Mensik. But this year, according to our tennis predictions, the draw looks much more open for the Italian, as the highest-ranked opponent he could meet in the semi-finals is Camilo Ugo Carabelli.
And the Argentinian can't be said to be in great form of late, as he has suffered 7 consecutive defeats in recent weeks and has just been eliminated in the semi-finals of the Bastad tournament by Jesper De Jong, ranked 106th in the world.
However, his chances of reaching the semi-finals appear to be in jeopardy, as the Italian has just notched up a string of wins, taking the title at the Umag tournament against Jesper De Jong (106th in the world).
And all his consecutive successes, including a semi-final victory over top 20 Francisco Cerundolo in a 3-set duel lasting over 2.5 hours, should have had an impact on Luciano Darderi's form. Although he is buoyed by this fine performance in front of the Swedish public, repeating his success at the next tournament looks unlikely. Instead, we are likely to see a gentle start from the Italian, who is unlikely to get very far in this tournament.
However, the Italian's performance should have seriously stung one of his opponents, who is also in the main draw for this Umag tournament.
ATP Umag: a historic double in sight
The defending champion, Francisco Cerundolo, will be there in person to try and defend the trophy he won from Lorenzo Musetti last year! Having struggled in recent weeks with a series of defeats on both clay and grass, the Argentinian seems to have rediscovered all his talent at the Bastad tournament last week.
Seeded number 1 in the Swedish tournament, he won his first 2 duels against Mariano Navone and Damir Dzumhur to reach the semi-finals of the tournament against Luciano Darderi (ranked 55th in the world). But things didn't go according to plan for the Argentinian, as he was unable to end his duel with the Italian with a win and narrowly lost the 3rd set tie-break after a duel lasting almost 3 hours.
It was a defeat that should have given the Argentinian a serious incentive to prove that he is capable of much better, and to get back into the swing of things quickly so that he can arrive at this Umag tournament with determination. What's more, as the defending champion of this tournament, he should give it his all this time to reach the final and defend his title. A strong comeback by the Argentinian is therefore to be expected at this Croatian tournament.
Our prediction for the ATP Umag 2025 winner: victory for Francisco Cerundolo!
