Semi Sweet: Sinner Beats Jodar for 21st Straight Win and Maiden Madrid Semifinal
By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, April 29, 2026
Photo credit: Mutua Madrid Open Facebook
Roll play is an underrated asset of Jannik Sinner’s productive portfolio.
Facing a 5-6 deficit to Spanish phenom Rafael Jodar, Sinner could feel festive Madrid fans ready to rock the Magic Box in anticipation of a third set.
Sinner responded with power surge closure.
The top-seeded Sinner roared through 11 points in a row subduing dangerous hometown hero Jodar 6-2, 7-6(0) to advance to his maiden Mutua Madrid Open semifinal.
A streaking Sinner scored his 21st consecutive victory, raising his 2026 record to 28-2.
It’s a streak show season for Sinner, who has already captured championships in Indian Wells, Miami and Monte-Carlo and now stands two wins from mastering Madrid.
Continuing his hunt for a record fifth straight ATP Masters 1000 championship, Sinner posted his 26th Masters 1000 match win in a row.
A stubborn Sinner played bold tennis facing break-point pressure. Sinner saved all seven break points he faced, including holding from 15-40 deficits in both the sixth and eighth games of the second set.
“He pushed me to the limit, he is an incredible player,” Sinner said of Jodar. “I tried to be ready as much as I could. First time playing against him.
“[Now] he knows what to expect. I know what to expect. I’m incredibly happy it’s been a high quality match . I got a bit lucky in the second set, but a bit of experience [helped] too. My first time in the semis here so very happy.”
It’s a semifinal set for Sinner, who has now reached the semifinals or better in all nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments. Sinner joins Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Alexander Zverev as the sixth man in series history to achieve that feat.
Despite this defeat, Jodar solidified his status as a dangerous threat for upcoming clay-court tournaments at Rome and Roland Garros. The lanky Jodar can detonate his forehand to destructive effect, can play fearless down the line drives and figures to only get stronger and sharper moving forward. The Marrakech champion began 2025 ranked No. 896, cracked the Top 200 last November, before breaking into the Top
100 in March. Today, Jodar climbs to a career-high No. 34 in the ATP Live Rankings.
The Wimbledon winner, who joins Federer and Nadal as the third man to reach semifinals at the first four Masters events of a season, will play either 11th-seeded Jiri Lehecka or 21st-seeded Frenchman Arthur Fils for a spot in Sunday’s final.
“I feel like reaching semis in every tournament is tough,” Sinner said. “Look I try to improve on every surface, every condition. Here is quite unique. I’m very happy.”
Today’s highly-hyped quarterfinal between 2024 US Open champion Sinner and 2024 US Open boys’ champion Jodar largely lived up to the hype.
Early on, Sinner may well have felt he was facing a teenage version of himself as Jodar was rocketing forehands even faster than the top seed.
Interestingly, it was Sinner’s variety—deploying the drop shot, altering the shape of his shots and dotting all areas of the box on serve—that helped him prevail today. Twice down break points, Sinner surprised Jodar pulling out the drop shot-lob combination beating the Spaniard listed at 6’3” (but surely taller) with clean topspin lob winners.
Jodar went deep in Sinner’s serve games in the early stages of both sets.
The Sunshine Double ruler botched a routine smash as the fourth game grew tricky. The Italian erased a break point in that game. Sinner snapped off a second-serve ace capping a 10-minute hold to level after four games.
At the outset, Jodar was hitting his forehand even bigger than Sinner, according to TennisTV stats, but the wild card lost the feel on that stroke in the fifth game. Jodar slapped a forehand into middle of the net, then scattered a backhand wide to face triple break point.
Though the Spaniard saved two break points, a sliding Sinner shot a brilliant backhand bullet winner down the line, breaking Jodar for 3-2, and silencing Spanish fans. Sinner saved another break point backing up the break for 4-2.
Challenging the teenager’s forehand, Sinner was striking with more height and depth on his shots.
The Wimbledon winner rattled out errors earning the love break for 5-2. Sinner surged through eight of the last nine points playing cleaner tennis throughout the 44-minute first set.
That fast finish to the opening set was a prelude of Sinner’s power-play closure to the second set.
Resetting, Jodar halted a five-game slide with a crucial hold to start the second set.
A leaping Jodar rocketed a 103 mph forehand down the line for double break point in the sixth game of the set. Sinner fought off a return that hit the baseline hammering a diagonal forehand to save the first. Drawing the Spaniard in with the dropper, Sinner lofted the rainbow lob to erase the second break point eventually holding for 3-all.
Threating serve again in the eighth game, Jodar earned three more break points. A 13-shot rally ended with Sinner slamming a forehand to save the second break point. On the third, Sinner flicked a forehand dropper then conjured a mesmerizing short-angled backhand winner to save the break point and help hold for 4-all.
Digging in, Jodar denied three match points in a tough seven-minute hold for 5-4.
Experience—and elevation—was ultimate the difference in this match. Sinner soared to a higher level at the end of both sets.
The World No. 1 rolled through a love hold to force the tiebreaker. Sinner torched a flamethrower forehand down the line for a 4-0 tiebreaker lead and finished the match with another forehand down the line.
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