Rising Spanish star Rafael Jodar continued his dream Madrid Open debut by setting up a blockbuster quarter-final with world No 1 Jannik Sinner.
The 19-year-old is attempting to fill the void left by the injured Carlos Alcaraz and defeated Vit Kopriva 7-5 6-0 to reach his first Masters quarter-final.
Jodar’s stunning rise has seen the Madrid local win 12 of his last 13 matches on clay, including a title in Marrakech and a run to the Barcelona semi-finals last week.
He was still ranked outside of the world’s top 200 in November but the teenager is now set to be seeded for the French Open and potentially inside the world’s top 30 by Monday.
Before then, he must attempt to end Sinner’s 20-match win streak at Masters events after the Italian defeated Britain’s Cameron Norrie earlier on Tuesday.
Jodar’s match against Kopriva was given top billing in Madrid, with Sinner moved to a morning slot to accommodate him, and they will take centre stage on Wednesday afternoon (3pm UK).
“Playing at home is always special and I’m super happy with how this week is going for me,” Jodar told Sky Sports. “It will be a great match. It will be my first time playing against Jannik so I hope I can give me best level.”
Jodar is the third Spanish teenager to reach the Madrid quarter-finals, following Rafael Nadal’s 2005 run and Alcaraz twice reaching the last-eight as a teenager in 2022 and 2023.
Jodar secured his first top-10 win by beating Alex de Minaur 6-3 6-1 in the second round on Friday, then backed that up with a 7-6 4-6 6-1 win over fellow 19-year-old Joao Fonseca.
Sinner was seen taking a court-side seat for Jodar’s win over De Minaur, the fifth seed, with the world No 1 absorbing the atmosphere as the Spaniard played in front of his home crowd.
“It’s not gonna be the only time we face each other,” Sinner said of Jodar after his win over Norrie. “That’s my feeling. It would be good if I face him before bigger tournaments coming up, Rome and Roland Garros.
“These are unique conditions here, he is from Madrid so he is used to the conditions. But at the same time I can have good feedback for bigger tournaments coming up. It’s very exciting. He’s a big, big talent.”
