Shanghai Prediction: Musetti vs Darderi 10/6/2025 Today’s Tennis Picks

Number 8 seed Lorenzo Musetti will face 26th seed Luciano Darderi in the third round of the 2025 Shanghai Masters on Monday, October 6. Here’s our Lorenzo Musetti vs Luciano Darderi prediction. This preview will also include a Lorenzo Musetti vs Luciano Darderi pick.

Lorenzo Musetti vs Luciano Darderi Preview

Lorenzo Musetti recovered from a thigh injury he picked up in Beijing to win his opening match at the 2025 Shanghai Masters. Musetti, the 8th seed, got a bye in the first round and started the tournament with a straight-sets win over Argentina’s Francesco Comesana.

It was a straight-sets rout with Musetti giving up on four games. The Italian recorded an emphatic 6-4, 6-0 win in 88 minutes. In the victory, Musetti hit 1 ace and did not account for any double faults. He landed 63% of first serves in play and won 78% of first serve points (21/27). Musett won 63% of second serve points (10/16) and he did not face a single break point in the match.

Musetti is now 17-10 on hard courts this season and has not lost before the quarterfinals in each of his last three tournaments, reaching the Chengdu final this swing.

Luciano Darderi is seeded in Shanghai and received direct passage into the second round. There, the 23-year-old upset home player Bu Yunchaokete in straight sets. Darderi only needed 90 minutes to polish up a 6-4, 6-4 win.

The World No. 29 broke once in the first set and maintained that cushion throughout before sealing the set 6-4. Darderi looked on his way to a comfortable victory when he led 5-1 in the second set with a couple of breaks, but he needed two attempts to serve out the match, eventually holding to love in the 10th game. Neither Musetti nor Darderi has reached the last 16 in Shanghai.

Lorenzo Musetti vs Luciano Darderi Head-To-Head

Musetti and Darderi have met twice at all levels. Their first meeting at the 2024 Turin Challenger was won by Musetti in two tight sets. Musetti also won their second match that same season at Wimbledon in five sets.

Lorenzo Musetti vs Luciano Darderi Prediction

We are not sleeping on Darderi here as he’s likely to cover the games handicap. The general consensus is that Darderi is a clay specialist, but his rally tolerance has improved massively, and he is a steady mover. And he’s also coming off a decent win over Bu, who is tough to beat on hard courts. Darderi has extracted Musetti’s best tennis in the two matches they’ve played before this, and having enjoyed his best season to date, I expect him to do the same in Shanghai.

Nur Said's Pick: Darderi games handicap +4.5