Luciano Darderi in the round of 16 of the US Open, knocking out Sweeny who had beaten Musetti

FUSHING MEADOWS – Jannik Sinner may not be at the US Open, but there's always an Italian in the round of 16 at a Grand Slam. This time, it's Luciano Darderi, who extends the Italian's streak of appearances to 30 majors. The Italian No. 4 defeated Australian Dane Sweeny, who eliminated Lorenzo Musetti, 64-63-63, equaling his best result in a major, reaching the round of 16 at the 2025 Australian Open. The third Italian to reach the round of 16 at both hard-court Grand Slams this season after Berrettini (2021-22) and Sinner (2022-25), Darderi will face either the No. 1 seed Alexander Zverev or Chilean Alejandro Tabilo. Against the Australian, who loves to come to the net, Darderi made his serve and precision count, getting the first break in the third game when his opponent made a mistake and taking the first set. The second set began with a break from the Italian and a counterbreak from the Australian, then Darderi served at 3-2 and capitalized on a series of opponent errors to take a two-sets-all lead. In the third set, Darderi scored two consecutive breaks in the third and fifth games. He could even afford to lose his serve, but when it came to match point, he closed with a backhand passing shot.