Rafael Jodar’s brilliant start to life on the ATP Tour continued with an impressive victory against Alex de Minaur.
Jodar already holds an exceptional clay court record, having won 10 of his first 11 matches on the surface so far.
The Spanish teenager swiftly dispatched de Minaur in straight sets to set up a match with Joao Fonseca in round three.
Jodar’s latest victory has seen him emulate a Jannik Sinner record as his dream run on the ATP Tour continues.
Rafael Jodar’s latest achievement at the Madrid Open
Jodar is playing the Madrid Open as a wild card, but the teenager surely will not need those for very much longer.
The Spaniard is already up to world number 36 and his victory as a wild card has seen him emulate something Sinner achieved during his early days on the ATP Tour.
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According to OptaAce, Jodar is the youngest wildcard to defeat an ATP top 10 opponent at a Masters 1000 event for nearly six years.
The last teenager to achieve the feat was Sinner, who did so at the age of 19 against Stefanos Tsitsipas at the 2020 Italian Open.
Sinner also beat Benoit Paire at the tournament, before falling to Grigor Dimitrov in three sets in the third round.
Rafael Jodar’s dream run could well continue
Jodar was gifted a kind draw at the Madrid Open and his dispatching of de Minaur has arguably made him the favourite to reach the quarter-finals.
The Spaniard will need to be at his best to defeat Fonseca in the third round, in what will be their first-ever match on the ATP Tour.
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If he gets past the talented Brazilian teenager, his likely next opponent will be 22nd seed Arthur Rinderknech.
That means Jodar will not have to play another player inside the top 20 to reach the quarter-finals of the Madrid Open.
Having already beaten de Minaur, there is every chance Jodar could make more history at one of his home tournaments.
Unfortunately for Jodar, if he does make the last eight of the competition, he will likely be rewarded with a match against Sinner.
