Arthur Fils has advanced to his second ATP Tour final of 2026 after beating Rafael Jodar in three sets.
The Frenchman’s impressive return to the Tour continued on Saturday as he defeated the Spanish youngster 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the Barcelona Open semi-finals.
Fils, who spent most of the 2025 season recovering from a back injury, will play Andrey Rublev in the Barcelona Open final.
As for Jodar, the 19-year-old can be proud of an excellent campaign in the Catalan city.
The youngster has continued to showcase why he is one of the most promising talents on the ATP Tour, and perhaps a future challenger to the dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Joao Fonseca will be the man to unsettle Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s duopoly over men’s tennis – Prove us wrong!
After defeating Jodar on Saturday, Fils compared Jodar’s game to Alcaraz’s and Sinner’s.
Arthur Fils believes Rafael Jodar’s game is more similar to Jannik Sinner’s than Carlos Alcaraz’s
During his post-match press conference, Fils discussed the comparisons between Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Jodar.
Jodar, like Alcaraz, has broken through at the top level while a teenager: Jodar won his first ATP Tour title last month at 19 years old, while Alcaraz won his first title at 18 years old.
“Carlos is already a huge, huge, huge champion,” Fils [pictured below] said.
“He’s already there three, four, five years now and he has a lot of experience, and if we talk about the game, Carlos can mix and change a lot of things during the game.
“Rafa [Jodar] today is a little different. He is still young. He is playing very, very good tennis.
“If I have to compare, I would compare Rafa more like Jannik Sinner: he is very strong from the baseline, on both sides. Can go down the line.”
Perhaps surprisingly, Jodar is not on the entry list for the 2026 Madrid Open.
The event, set to run from April 20 to May 3, was last won by Casper Ruud.
Ruud, now ranked 12th on the ATP Tour, has been practising at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca ahead of his title defence.
Arthur Fils vs Andrey Rublev
Fils and Rublev first met on Tour at the 2024 Hong Kong Open.
Rublev emerged victorious from their first encounter, winning their quarter-final contest 6-4, 1-6, 6-2.
A few months later, Fils avenged his Hong Kong defeat, beating the Russian 6-2, 6-3 in the 2025 Monte Carlo Masters round of 16.
Fils vs Rublev on the ATP Tour
- 2024 Hong Kong Open: Rublev defeated Fils 6-4, 1-6, 6-2
- 2025 Monte Carlo Masters: Fils defeated Rublev 6-2, 6-3
- 2025 French Open: WALKOVER [Rublev advanced]
The pair were due to meet for a third time in the 2025 French Open third round. However, Fils withdrew from the event shortly before their match.
“Rublo [Rublev] is a great champion,” Fils said ahead of Sunday’s clash. “We had some big battles in the past, so it’s not going to be easy.”
