Rafael Jódar has ended up winning the match against Pablo Carreño Busta, 3-6, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, in a match that had to be suspended on Wednesday night because lack of artificial lighting at Wimbledon's Court 2, when they were in the fourth set: Carreño won two, Jódar one, and the fourth set was 2-1 for Jódar.
Since last night, and now especially after the end result, some people are criticising Jódar for using a "trick": on Wednesday, when he was on a losing inertia and struggling physically from his ankle, he asked for a bathroom break when it was becoming clear that match, unless it ended very soon, would have to be called off for the day.
This allowed him to win some time and delay what could have been an inevitable defeat (despite Carreño's complaints to the umpire) and finally the match was suspended at the right time for him to have a shot at a comeback the following day, more rested... which he did. When the match ended on Thursday, they had a cold handshake, with many users commenting Carreño deserved the win.
Jódar, 19, has now defeated Carreño, 34, in two straight Grand Slams. A similar thing happened at Roland Garros a few weeks ago (without a delay): Carreño was leading in the first two sets, but Jódar held on and won the match. He eventually reached quarter-finals in his first appearance in the competition, confirming his status as a rising star, now climbing positions from his current rank of World No. 25.
Jódar will next face Japanese qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki in third round at Wimbledon, and the winner could face Jannik Sinner or Jenson Brooksby in the fourth round: Jódar and Sinner have already played once, at Madrid semi-finals, and the Italian prevailed, but admired Jódar's skill at his young age.
