Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the fourth round of the U.S. Open with a commanding win over Luciano Darderi, but a brief moment in the second set drew attention when he called for the physio. The Spaniard had just dropped his serve and appeared to feel discomfort in his right knee, prompting a medical timeout.
Knee concern quickly fades
Alcaraz explained that it was nothing serious. “I’m feeling good. Just a precaution that I asked for the physio when he broke my serve in the last point,” he said. “I felt something that wasn’t working good in the knee. After 5, 6 points it was gone.”
Staying physically prepared
With one set remaining, Alcaraz wanted to ensure he was physically ready to close out the match. “I asked for the physio just to take care about the knee because it was 1 set left, I had to be ready and feeling good physically,” he said. His decision to seek treatment was based on caution rather than concern.
Confidence moving forward
Despite the brief interruption, Alcaraz showed no signs of slowing down, winning the final set 6-0 and maintaining his perfect record in the tournament. “Precaution. I’m gonna talk with my team but I’m not worried about it,” he said, reassuring fans that he remains in strong form heading into the second week.
Final result and next opponent
Alcaraz defeated Darderi in straight sets: 6-2, 6-4, 6-0. The match lasted just under two hours, with Alcaraz dominating from start to finish. He will face Arthur Rinderknech in the round of 16 as he continues his pursuit of a second U.S. Open title.
Luciano Darderi in 2025
WWWWWLLLLL Now the world no.34, the Italian played his last match on the 29th of August when he was defeated by world no.2 Carlos Alcaraz 6-2 6-4 6-0 in the 3rd round of the U.S. Open (draw).
During this season Darderi owns a 31-23 win-loss record. Darderi conquered 3 titles in 2025 in Marrakech, Bastad and Umag. Luciano reached the final in the Naples Challenger.
