Luciano Darderi’s time in the Australian Open came to an end at the hands of his compatriot, Jannik Sinner.
Sinner bounced back from an Australian Open scare to defeat Darderi comfortably in straight sets on Margaret Court Arena.
Darderi impressed at the first Grand Slam of the year by achieving a career-best result at a major by defeating Cristian Garín, Sebastian Baez, and Karen Khachanov to reach the fourth round.
Darderi was outclassed by Sinner in a similar way to his defeat to Carlos Alcaraz at the 2025 US Open, and now he has compared the two giants of the sport.
Luciano Darderi compares Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz
Darderi failed to win a set in either of his Grand Slam matches against Sinner or Alcaraz and he reflected on the toughness of both men during his Australian Open press conference.
The Italian was floored by Sinner’s level in Melbourne and he said he found the early stages of the match particularly hard.
Carlos Alcaraz WILL complete the Career Grand Slam before Jannik Sinner – discuss…
“He has an unattainable ball speed, and it took me two sets to figure out how to play before finding the rhythm and competing in the third set,” he said.
Having now played both Alcaraz and Sinner, Darderi discussed the levels of both players on the biggest stage.
“I enjoyed it because I got to play against the world number two; in New York I lost to Alcaraz and here to Sinner. Jannik’s serve is superior, Carlos has a better hand game.
“If you don’t face those two, you can take on anyone. I’m happy with how my season has started. Playing these matches makes you realize how much you need to improve, and they’re a great motivator. In the third set I managed to play better because I had more rhythm and could rally more effectively.”
Darderi’s performance at the Australian Open has seen him reach a career ranking high of world number 23.
Jannik Sinner continues remarkable streak at the Australian Open
Sinner is a back-to-back champion at the Australian Open, having lifted the first Grand Slam of the year in 2024 and 2025.
The Italian’s latest victory was his 18th in a row in Melbourne, which is now the fifth-longest in tennis history.
What would have happened if Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner played at the same time as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal?
Sinner’s win over Darderi meant he equalled Jim Courier’s unbeaten streak at the Australian Open between 1992 and 1994.
Only Roger Federer, Ivan Lendl, Andre Agassi, and Novak Djokovic now sit above Sinner, so he is in very fine company.
Sinner can overtake Federer and Lendl’s record at this year’s event if he lifts the trophy for a third consecutive year.
