Tennis sensation Rafael Jódar won a late-night match against Joao Fonseca at the Madrid Open in the first of what many experts think will be a new "classic" in tennis. Jódar won 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-1, a match where both displayed their incredible skill, but in which Jódar seemed to be more physically prepared for such a demanding match.
Both are the only two players born in 2006 to have won an ATP tournament: Fonseca, ranked 31 has a little more experience, already winning an ATP 500 tournament, the Swiss Indoors in October 2025.
Jódar, ranked 42 in the world, won his first ATP 250 title in Marrakech earlier this month, then reached the Barcelona Open ATP 500 semi-finals, and in Madrid he has already achieved his first top-ten victory, defeating World No. 8 Alex de Miñaur in the previous round, losing only four games. Jódar is the third player born in 2006 to reach Masters 1,000 round of 16, after Fonseca and Martín Landaluce at Indian Wells last month.
Rafael Jódar next faces World No. 66 Vit Kopriva on Tuesday, who qualified when his rival Arthur Rinderknech withdrew, making him a seemingly easier "prey" for Jódar. If Jódar wins, he could face Jannik Sinner in quarter-finals...