Italian Open match delayed by cup final fireworks

Italy's Luciano Darderi and Spain's Rafael Jodar (above) had to wait for the smoke to clear before resuming their quarter-final [Getty Images]

A match at the Italian Open was halted for almost 20 minutes because of smoke from fireworks following Inter Milan's Coppa Italia triumph at the Stadio Olimpico.

Italian Luciano Darderi eventually claimed victory over Spaniard Rafael Jodar to reach the semi-finals after 2am local time at Foro Italico in Rome.

Jodar, 19, was leading 6-5 in the opening set when thick smoke descended on centre ​court amid celebrations after Inter's 2-0 victory over Lazio about 500m away.

Play was paused because of significantly reduced visibility, while the smoke also disrupted the electronic line-calling system.

The 20th-ranked Darderi, 24, overcame Jodar 7-6 (7-5) 5-7 6-0 after three hours eight minutes on court to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final.

Rain earlier in the day caused delays to many matches, with Darderi and Jodar not beginning their contest until almost 11pm.

Darderi dominated the deciding set, forcing nine break points and taking three, to clinch the biggest win of his career and set up a semi-final against Norway's Casper Ruud.

Ranked outside the top 700 less than a year ago, Jodar has climbed to 34 in the world.

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