Spanish tennis fans got a glimpse of the future on Sunday as 19-year-old wild-card entry Rafael Jodar of Spain defeated Brazilian phenom Joao Fonseca, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-1, before a roaring crowd at the Madrid Open.
Two days ago, Jodar recorded first top-10 victory, knocking off Australian Alex de Minaur.
Fonseca, also 19 years old and seeded No. 27 in Madrid, bounced back from a poor first-set tiebreaker to break Jodar in the first game of the second set and force a decider. But the momentum swung to the newest Spanish sensation as Jodar hit 11 winners to only one for Fonseca and cruised into the fourth round.
“A very tough match,” Jodar said. “Joao is always a very tough player, so these matches are decided by very small details and various small points. I think I did a great job in those points, trying to play my game.”
Jodar will next face unranked Czech Vit Kopriva, who advanced when No. 22 Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech retired after two sets with a calf injury. Kopriva won the first set 6-4, but dropped the second 6-3 before his opponent bowed out.
But Jodar is giving himself a little time to revel in Sunday’s victory.
“I’m very, very happy with my level,” Jodar said. “I’ll just try to recover well and think about the next match.”
Top-seeded Jannik Sinner of Italy cruised into the fourth round with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Danish qualifier Elmer Moller. Sinner has now won 24 consecutive ATP 1000-level matches. Sinner only made 10 unforced errors against the big-hitting Moller.
“I tried to stay calm and serve well in important moments,” Sinner said after the match. “I think that was the key today. There was not a lot of rhythm, so I tried to stay quite compact. Let’s see what’s coming in the next round.”
No. 19 seed Cameron Norrie is next for Sinner on Tuesday, as the top-ranked Brit edged Argentina’s Thiago Tirante 7-5, 7-6 (5). It will be the first match between Sinner and the left-handed Norrie.
All the other higher-seeded players advanced on Sunday. Sixth-seeded Lorenzo Musetti of Italy edged No. 29 Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands, 6-4, 7-5; Czechia’s No. 11 Jiri Lehecka defeated Alex Michelsen, 6-4, 6-2; French No. 21 Arthur Fils eliminated Emilio Nava, 7-6 (2), 6-3; and 25th-seeded Argentine Tomas Martin Etchevarry halted the run of Croatia’s Dino Prizmic with a hard-earned 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory.
–Field Level Media
