Teen Phenom Jodar Keeps it Rolling, Sets Quarterfinal with Sinner in Madrid

Spanish tennis is the gift that keeps on giving.

At a tournament that began under a cloud—after Carlos Alcaraz announced his withdrawal from the clay-court season due to a wrist injury—19-year-old wild card Rafael Jodar has emerged as a bright new storyline, bringing his own brand of tennis sunshine to the Caja Mágica in Madrid.

The surging Spaniard kept his momentum rolling on Tuesday with a 7-5, 6-0 victory over Czech Vit Kopriva, becoming the sixth teenager to reach the quarterfinals in Madrid Open history.

Jodar, this year’s Marrakech champion, has now won 12 of his last 13 matches and will next face World No. 1 Jannik Sinner—who arrives on a 20-match winning streak.

Asked about the looming matchup, Jodar said:

“It’s another opportunity.”

Kopriva’s opportunity was quickly extinguished by the in-form World No. 42, who needed just 80 minutes to get the job done.

Jodar won 19 of 23 second-serve points and saved both break points he faced. After sealing the first set with a love hold, he reeled off eight consecutive games to close out the match in emphatic fashion.

Jodar, who spent a season at the University of Virginia before turning professional last year, is the third Spanish teenager to reach the Madrid quarterfinals this century, and the fourth wild card to do so.

He is also one of a select group of teenagers to reach a Masters 1000 quarterfinal in the 2020s, joining Carlos Alcaraz, Jakub Mensik, Holger Rune, Joao Fonseca and Jannik Sinner.

Sinner, for his part, is eager to see what the young Spaniard brings to the court. The World No. 1 told reporters he would rather face Jodar sooner rather than later, viewing the matchup as a useful test ahead of the biggest events of the clay season.

“It would be good if I face him before the bigger tournaments coming up—Rome and then Roland-Garros,” Sinner said. “The conditions here are very unique. He’s from Madrid, so he’s very used to them. But at the same time, it can give me really good feedback heading into those bigger events.”