A young Spanish tennis player captured the attention of home fans Sunday when 19-year-old wildcard Rafael Jodar took down Brazilian rising star Joao Fonseca in a thrilling three-set match, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-1, at the Madrid Open.
Just two days earlier, Jodar had claimed his first victory over a top-10 ranked player by defeating Australia’s Alex de Minaur.
Fonseca, who is also 19 and ranked 27th in the Madrid tournament, recovered from losing a tight first-set tiebreak to break Jodar’s serve early in the second set and push the match to a third set. However, the Spanish newcomer dominated the final set, recording 11 winners compared to just one for his Brazilian opponent to secure his spot in the fourth round.
“A very tough match,” Jodar said. “Joao is always a very tough player, so these matches are decided by very small details and various small points. I think I did a great job in those points, trying to play my game.”
Jodar’s next opponent will be Czech player Vit Kopriva, who has no current ranking and advanced when 22nd-seeded Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech withdrew due to a calf injury after two sets. Kopriva had taken the opening set 6-4 but lost the second 6-3 before Rinderknech retired from the match.
The Spanish player is taking time to savor Sunday’s breakthrough performance.
“I’m very, very happy with my level,” Jodar said. “I’ll just try to recover well and think about the next match.”
In other action, Italy’s top-seeded Jannik Sinner dominated Danish qualifier Elmer Moller with a commanding 6-2, 6-3 win to reach the fourth round. The victory extended Sinner’s remarkable winning streak to 24 straight matches at ATP 1000-level tournaments. Sinner committed only 10 unforced errors against the powerful-hitting Moller.
“I tried to stay calm and serve well in important moments,” Sinner said after the match. “I think that was the key today. There was not a lot of rhythm, so I tried to stay quite compact. Let’s see what’s coming in the next round.”
Sinner will face 19th-seeded Cameron Norrie of Britain on Tuesday, after Norrie narrowly defeated Argentina’s Thiago Tirante 7-5, 7-6 (5). The upcoming match will mark the first meeting between Sinner and the left-handed Norrie.
Sunday also saw other higher-seeded players advance without major upsets. Italy’s sixth-seeded Lorenzo Musetti outlasted 29th-seeded Tallon Griekspoor from the Netherlands, 6-4, 7-5. Czech Republic’s 11th-seeded Jiri Lehecka defeated Alex Michelsen, 6-4, 6-2. France’s 21st-seeded Arthur Fils knocked out Emilio Nava, 7-6 (2), 6-3. And 25th-seeded Argentine Tomas Martin Etchevarry came from behind to stop Croatia’s Dino Prizmic with a 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 comeback victory.
