Rafael Jodar reaches Masters semifinal for the first time in his career
Rafael Jodar reached the semifinals of a Masters tournament for the first time in his career this Tuesday evening. The 19-year-old Spaniard, ranked 15th in the world, achieved this feat in Montreal after a 6:7 (5), 3:6 victory over Frenchman Arthur Fils.
Rafael Jodar reached the semifinals of a Masters tournament for the first time in his career this Tuesday evening. The 19-year-old Spaniard, ranked 15th in the world, achieved this feat in Montreal after a 6:7 (5), 3:6 victory over Frenchman Arthur Fils (24). Despite being a clay-court specialist, Jodar recorded this personal milestone on a hard court in the USA. He has secured 29 wins in his last 35 matches during his debut season on the tour. He also defeated Fils in straight sets in Washington about two weeks ago, having previously lost to him on clay in the Barcelona semifinals in mid-April.
His next opponent will be Brandon Nakashima, who is also making his debut in a Masters semifinal. The American (31) cruised to a 2:6, 3:6 victory over Italian Luciano Darderi (22), closing out the match in 79 minutes. He has 26 wins in 2026 and will look to bounce back after his semifinal loss in Washington a week and a half ago against Taylor Fritz.
The Montreal tournament is the third oldest in tennis, following Wimbledon and the US Open. The total prize money this year stands at 9.4 million dollars, with the champion earning 1.151 million dollars and the runner-up 612 thousand dollars.
