Tennis professional Yannick Hanfmann missed his first title on the ATP tour at the third attempt. The Karlsruher lost the final in Santiago de Chile against the Italian Luciano Darderi 6:7 (6:8), 5:7.
Hanfmann had previously reached a final on his favorite clay surface in Gstaad in 2017 and in Kitzbühel in 2020. But he still has to wait for a tournament victory after the week in Chile.
Hanfmann after defeating Cerundolo in the final
Despite the defeat, Hanfmann can count the tournament at the height of the South American city as a success. In the semifinals he surprisingly beat the top seeded Argentinian Francisco Cerúndolo, but in the final he narrowly had to admit defeat against Darderi.
Close match between Hanfmann and Darderi
After a close first set, which Darderi was able to decide in the tiebreak, Hanfmann managed an early break in the second round. But the Italian came back strongly, won eight points in a row and equalized again. When the score was 6:5, he made the decisive break that cost Hanfmann his comeback and his possible first tournament victory.
Darderi is considered a clay court specialist; it was his fifth title on clay since 2024; no player on the tour has won more titles on clay during this period. Hanfmann had already lost on sand in Cordoba/Argentina in 2023 and 2024 against number 21 in the world rankings.
Hanfmann (34) takes home $62,115 in prize money and 165 points, climbing from 81st to 65th in the rankings. He continues on to the hard court at the Masters in Indian Wells, California. However, Hanfmann has to qualify there; he narrowly missed out on the main draw.
