Tennis needed an injection of life following the recent withdrawal of Carlos Alcaraz from the remainder of the clay-court swing.
The sport will get it in the form of a showdown between rising stars Joao Fonseca and Rafael Jodar.
For now, it’s a matchup in round three of the Mutua Madrid Open. In the future, no one would be surprised if it’s a Grand Slam final. Both 19-year-olds are title winners on the ATP Tour and will almost definitely be seeded at Roland Garros. Fonseca comes in at No. 31 in the world (29th live) and has just 40 points to defend between now and the French Open. Jodar is No. 41 (36th live) with zero points to defend over the next month.
Jodar was not even on tour this time last year. He was still playing at the University of Virginia, where — ironically — Fonseca committed before ultimately deciding to turn pro. Jodar actually considered going back to college for a second season but clearly made the correct decision. The Spaniard is taking the pro tour by storm, skyrocketing from his No. 540 ranking last August with 17 ATP-level match victories and three Challenger titles. Jodar kicked off his Madrid campaign with a 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 victory over Jesper de Jong before destroying Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-1.
Fonseca has not yet played a single match this fortnight. The Brazilian earned an opening bye as the 27th seed and then got a walkover from Marin Cilic due to illness. Fonseca is looking to continue an impressive Masters 1000 run that features a fourth-round showing in Indian Wells and a quarterfinal performance in Monte-Carlo.
The walkover from Cilic may not be a good thing for Fonseca, as high-altitude conditions are unique and adjusting to them is not easy. Jodar having already won two matches is without question an advantage. The Madrid native isn’t just winning matches, either — he is crushing people. He dropped four games against De Minaur, five against Cameron Norrie in the Barcelona quarters, and a total of eight in his last two matches en route to the Marrakech title earlier this month.
A lopsided result almost certainly isn’t in the cards for Sunday; anything less than a three-set thriller would be a disappointment. But an edge goes to Jodar, who is on fire and playing in front of the home crowd.
Pick: Jodar in 3