Rafael Jodar may be young, at 19, but he plays with a moxie of a been-there-done-that 30-year-old. That competitive charisma showed again on Saturday night in Cincinnati as the Spanish sensation pulled off an improbable eleventh hour comeback to stun Denis Shapavalov, 7-5, 4-6, 7-5 in two hours and 56 minutes.
Forget the first two sets of this wild contest, not that there was anything wrong with them.
Jodar’s victory will be forever remembered by how he found his way back from the brink with tenacity as he raced through the final six games during bizarre circumstances.
First there were the shoelaces. Jodar broke his twice, and needed to stop midgame to change shoes both times. What could be done? Nothing. But Shapovalov, starting to feel the pressure from the No.11-ranked teen, was not pleased. It was comical to watch Jodar fumble around with his laces, and finally have a ball kid run the shoes over to his coach/ father to finish the deal.
Shapovalov made a protest during the second shoe change, while leading 5-3, 15-15, but then waited it out with the rest of the crowd.
About five minutes earlier, things were about to come to a quiet conclusion, with Shapovalov serving at match point up at 5-2, 40-30 with 2:31 on the match clock. He double faulted.
The Canadian, meeting Jodar for the second time this year (he crushed him in Dallas in February, what a difference six months makes with Jodar), got another chance two points later, and Jodar played the point that might have changed the match for good. He stepped in and struck a forehand winner on the 22nd stroke of a grinding rally. During the point, Shapovalov played passively, hoping for an error that never came.
He would spend the rest of the match rueing that decision.
Then there were the Kings Island fireworks, ringing through the air during the final game. Shapovalov, who had played magnificently to take the middle set and build a 5-1 lead in the third, got irked by a fan as he tried to serve to force a third-set tiebreak, now trailing 5-6.
He walked to the back of the court and asked the fan “What’s wrong with you?”
The Canadian may have silenced the fan, but there was no stopping the Jodar express.
The Spaniard has now won 14 of 17 deciding sets on tour this year, and he advances to face Alejandro Tabilo in the third round. Jodar leads all ATP players in victories on tour since March 30, with a 30-7 record in that span.
Shapovalov, who broke a six-match Masters 1000 losing streak with his first-round win over Adrian Mannarino, had words with Jodar after the match, and the two parted ways amicably after Jodar explained himself.
The teenager flies around the court, shredding his shoes, but he rarely loses his cool. Tonight, it was his cool that got him over the hump in a match he should probably should have lost.
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