Jannik Sinner defeated Rafael Jodar, 6-2, 7-6, in the quarter-finals of the Madrid Open.
The Italian was made to work hard for his place in the Madrid Open semis, as the 19-year-old showed exactly why so many believe he has Grand Slam-winning potential.
Can Rafael Jodar fill the void left by Carlos Alcaraz?
He's certainly stepped up in his absence so far…
Down break points at 4-4 in the second set, Jodar fought back brilliantly to force a tiebreak, which he subsequently lost [0-7].
After the match, Sinner told Sky Sports what he thought about Jodar.
Jannik Sinner says he knew Rafael Jodar would be ‘very tough’ to beat
“Tough challenge,” said Sinner.
“I knew already before the match he was going to be very tough to beat, especially here, he’s from here, he knows exactly how to play in these conditions.
“I got a little bit more experience in the second set, got a bit lucky at times, a couple of lines and net cords, but I tried to keep the level as high as I could.
“Had my chances also, missed a couple of easy shots, but look, this is tennis, and I’m happy with how I ended the match. I tried to level up a little bit, going a bit faster, and this helped me.
Jannik Sinner vs Rafael Jodar – Match stats
| Stats | Jannik Sinner | Rafael Jodar |
| Aces | 6 | 4 |
| Double faults | 2 | 1 |
| 1st Serve % | 65% | 67% |
| Win % on 1st Serve | 73% | 61% |
| Win % on 2nd Serve | 68% | 48% |
| Break points | 2/9 | 0/7 |
“But an incredible player, Spain has one more incredible player, it’s great for the sport.”
Sinner was happy to get past the Spaniard, as he now prepares for his semi-final match.
“I played well [in the tiebreaker], but maybe I could have changed the return position a little bit before, but these are small details that can help me for the rest of the tournament,” he said.
“I’m very happy to be here.
“I’m trying to keep my energy as high as possible. I played a lot in the past one and a half months, so I’m very happy to be in the semis.”
Sinner will return on Friday to play either Arthur Fils or Jiri Lehecka in the Madrid Open semi-finals.
Andy Murray’s former coach makes Rafael Jodar prediction
During Sky Sports’ post-match coverage, Andy Murray’s former coach, Miles Maclagan, had this to say about the 19-year-old Spaniard.
“A good contest, we will be seeing plenty more of this guy,” he said.
“He’s going to move on up the rankings. Just how high? Well, we’ll find out.
“But I suspect it’s going to be very near the top, if not to the summit.
“What a player Rafa Jodar is.
“It’s not too often you have an overall performance rating of 8.7 and come out second best, but against Sinner, it’s just not enough at the moment.”
With the spotlight on Jodar, Maclagan was keen to give Sinner his flowers.
“He’s outstanding,” said Maclagan.
“The way he’s able to produce high-quality performance after high-quality performance…
“The serve is the cornerstone of that, yet again, when in trouble, he’s able to pull out a few big first serves.
“The fashion in which he saved some of the break points was really quite remarkable. He went to the drop shot frequently; it wasn’t always successful, but the mark of a champion, when he really needed to call upon something, it was there.
“There he is, into another semi-final, living to fight another day, and you’d be brave to bet against him.”
Jannik Sinner in 2026
- Australian Open – SF
- Qatar Open – QF
- Indian Wells – W
- Miami Open – W
- Monte Carlo Masters – W
- Madrid Open – SF (in progress)
Maclagan did, however, note how Jodar pressured Sinner into mistakes during the second set.
“Sinner had break points at 4-4 in that second set, and looked for a moment as if it would be 6-2, 6-4, and we would have wondered what all the fuss was!” he said.
“But that wasn’t the case. He troubled Sinner for a lot of that second set, made the world number one truly uncomfortable.
“We saw the team were a little bit edgy. The way Sinner played some of the misses, perhaps, was a little bit of the pressure he felt to go a little bit harder and more risky than he might against other players.”
Jodar lost to Sinner in Madrid, but gained the respect of the wider tennis world, putting up a strong fight against the world number one.
It won’t be long before he returns to action at the Italian Open, which begins on Tuesday, May 5.
