Full story
Jódar reaches quarters
Rafael Jódar, a 19-year-old Spaniard, reached the Roland-Garros quarter-finals on his main draw debut on Sunday (Paris time) by beating Pablo Carreno Busta 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 in three hours and 41 minutes.
“- Published Whisper it quietly: there is a new Rafa in town at the French Open”
The BBC described Jódar as “the latest talent from the Spanish production line” after Rafael Nadal’s retirement, and said Jódar’s path on the Paris clay has made him a dark horse for the Coupe des Mousquetaires.
The Age framed the moment as “History repeating? Rafa 2.0 storms into Roland-Garros quarter-finals,” noting that Jódar became the fifth man this century to reach the quarter-finals in Paris on his main draw debut.
Jódar’s win followed a rally from two-sets-to-one down against American Alex Michelsen in a round earlier, and he is set to face German Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals after Zverev ended lucky loser Jesper De Jong’s run with a 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, 6-1 success in the fourth round.
Zverev praises Jódar
After Zverev learned his next opponent was Jódar, the German said, “He’s a very young player, incredibly talented,” adding that Jódar has come on “from being ranked outside the top 100 and now almost being top 20 within two months.”
The Age reported that Zverev’s path to the last eight was “far more comfortable,” dropping just one set so far and ending Jesper De Jong’s unlikely run with a 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, 6-1 win.
%3Aformat(jpg)%3Aquality(99)%3Awatermark(f.elconfidencial.com%2Ffile%2Fbae%2Feea%2Ffde%2Fbaeeeafde1b3229287b0c008f7602058.png%2C0%2C275%2C1)%2Ff.elconfidencial.com%2Foriginal%2Fe7e%2Faa0%2Fb44%2Fe7eaa0b44e73cf2bd653fec30ae51bfc.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
BBC Sport quoted Spanish tennis journalist Alejandro Ciriza saying, “his progress has been so rapid that it seems natural that he should be playing in the later rounds of such tournaments.”
The BBC also said Jódar is not named in homage to Nadal, explaining that he shares the name with the 22-time major winner through family tradition, with his father and grandfather also called Rafael.
What’s at stake next
With Jódar now into the second week, the BBC said that if the 27th seed can find a way past Alexander Zverev in Tuesday’s quarter-final, he will become the new favourite to be victorious on Sunday.
“The Spaniard yields only five games to Kovacevic and records his first win in the tournament: 6-1, 6-0, 6-4 in 1h 34m”
The Age connected the quarter-final surge to a wider French Open picture, saying this year’s Roland-Garros championship will crown a first-time grand slam champion after the eliminations of both world No.1 Sinner and 24-time major winner Novak Djokovic.
In the same BBC report, Pablo Carreno Busta—Jódar’s latest victim in their fourth-round match on Sunday—described him as already showing “real promise,” saying, “With those levers, the big hitting, hogging the baseline, he was already showing real promise.”
The Age added that Jódar’s greatest challenge this fortnight is about to come against Zverev, a three-time major finalist who is the new tournament favourite after the chaos that has befallen Roland-Garros.
