Cordoba 2024 Final: Facundo Bagnis vs Luciano Darderi preview, head-to-head, prediction and pick

Fixture: Facundo Bagnis vs Luciano Darderi

Date: February 11, 2024

Tournament: Cordoba Open 2024

Round: Final

Venue: Cordoba

Category: ATP 250

Surface: Hardcourt

Prize Money: $562,345

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel

Facundo Bagnis vs Luciano Darderi preview

Facundo Bagnis and Luciano Darderi have set up an all-qualifier final showdown in Cordoba.

World No. 207 Bagnis downed compatriot Federico Coria in straight sets to remain perfect on tour in 2024. After winning the opening set for the loss of three games, the second set was a sterner affair.

However, Bagnis took it 7-5 to improve to 3-0 on the year, with all his wins coming this week at the ATP 250 event. Earlier, the 33-year-old took out Juan Manuel Cerundolo, eighth seed Roberto Carballes Baena, and fellow qualifier Jaume Munar after winning two matches in qualifying.

Bagnis is coming off a 2-10 season in 2023. He lost in the opening round in Cordoba, losing to Marco Cecchinato. His only wins on the ATP Tour came in Miami and Gstaad. He mostly played on the Challenger Tour during the season, where he enjoyed more success.

Meanwhile, the 136th-ranked Darderi continued a fairytale run of his own in Cordoba, ousting second-seed Sebastian Baez in the semifinal. The Argentina-born Italian made a brisk start, dropping one game in his opener before Baez restored parity by taking the second set for the loss of three games.

Darderi, though, remained unflustered, regaining ascendancy in the contest by producing a 6-3 set of his own to reach his first ATP singles final. It marked Baez's first defeat in 10 matches on clay since winning the Kitzbuehel title last year.

Earlier this week, Darderi took out Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera, fourth seed Sebastian Ofner, and seventh seed Yannick Hanfmann.

Facundo Bagnis vs Luciano Darderi head-to-head

The two players haven't met on tour before, so their head-to-head record stands at 0-0.

Facundo Bagnis vs Luciano Darderi odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games (over/under)
Facundo Bagnis	+130	+1.5 (-130)	Over 2.5 (+125)
Luciano Darderi	-160	-1.5 (-105)	Under 2.5 (-185)

Odds as per BetMGM.

Facundo Bagnis vs Luciano Darderi prediction

Both players tend to play their best tennis on clay and are not particularly renowned for being the biggest servers or most powerful servers on tour.

Bagnis and Darderi look to dominate points from the baseline and have been the two best players this week in Cordoba. Darderi will be the more confident of the two after taking out second seed Sebastian Baez in three sets in the previous round.

With both players playing for their first ATP singles title, expect a cracker of a contest. Darderi should prevail in a hard-fought clash due to his momentum from the Baez win.

Pick: Darderi in three sets

About the author

Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 20 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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Edited by Aniket Rai