Rafael Jodar beat fellow 19-year-old Joao Fonseca, the No 27 seed, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-1 on Sunday night at the Mutua Madrid Open, reaching the last 16 of a Masters 1000 event for the first time in his career – in the city where he was born, in front of a crowd that has adopted him as its own.
The match had the atmosphere of an occasion. Two of the most anticipated young players on the ATP Tour, meeting for the first time, in the night session on Manolo Santana Stadium, with Alcaraz absent and a nation looking for someone to root for. Jodar – born in Madrid, ranked No 42, a wild card in the draw – provided the answer in two hours and nine minutes of tennis that swung violently before finishing in a crescendo at 59 minutes past midnight.
The opening set went to a tiebreak that Jodar won 7-4. Fonseca, the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals champion and a two-time tour title winner, had been here before. He took the second set 6-4 and made Jodar work for every point. Then the third set began, and the Spaniard produced something that silenced the tactical discussion entirely. He won it 6-1, hitting with a clarity and aggression that made Fonseca look powerless. It was the kind of tennis that earns a reputation.
A year ago, Jodar was ranked No 687 and competing for the University of Virginia. The Madrleño has now won 11 of his last 12 matches. He won the Marrakech title, reached the Barcelona semi-finals and beat No 5 seed Alex de Minaur in straight sets two days ago for his first top-10 win.
He will face Czech Vit Kopriva, who eliminated No 9 seed Andrey Rublev earlier in the week, in the last 16.