Nineteen-year-old Rafael Jodar from Spain claimed his breakthrough ATP tournament victory on Sunday, defeating Argentine qualifier Marco Trungelliti 6-3, 6-2 in the Grand Prix Hassan II championship match in Marrakech, Morocco.
The young Spaniard’s rise has been meteoric – exactly one year ago, he held the No. 911 position in global tennis rankings. After making his professional tour debut at this year’s Australian Open, Jodar has experienced a remarkable climb up the rankings in recent months. His victory makes him the youngest player ever to win the Marrakech tournament.
Jodar dominated from the opening game, breaking his opponent’s serve immediately in a lengthy first game that went to six deuces. The teenager controlled the match with superior shot-making, recording 21 winners compared to Trungelliti’s five. He successfully defended against the single break point he faced while converting four of his nine break opportunities. His second serve proved particularly effective, winning 15 of 17 points for an impressive 88.2 percent success rate.
Trungelliti, 36, was also competing in his first career championship match after defeating the tournament’s first, third, and fifth seeds during his run to the final. The veteran will reach a career milestone on Monday when he enters the top 100 rankings for the first time, becoming the oldest player ever to achieve that feat. The 17-year age difference between the finalists represents the fifth-largest gap in any ATP final since 1990.
In other ATP action, Argentina’s Mariano Navone, seeded seventh, captured the Tiriac Open title in Bucharest, Romania, overcoming Spanish qualifier Daniel Merida 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 in a match lasting 2 hours and 17 minutes.
Navone established early control by winning 19 of 21 first serves and breaking Merida’s serve twice in the opening set. Despite dropping the second set and falling behind early in the deciding third set, Navone rallied to break his opponent’s serve in three of the final four games to secure victory.
The title represents Navone’s first ATP championship after losing in straight sets in this same final last year. His victory is expected to elevate him 18 positions to No. 42 in the world rankings, surpassing his previous career-high of No. 47 achieved in 2024.
Meanwhile, at the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston, Texas, fourth-seeded American Tommy Paul was scheduled to face Argentina’s Roman Andres Burruchaga in the final.
