Sinner Ends Jodar’s Madrid Open Run
World No 1 Jannik Sinner halted the impressive run of teenage home favourite Rafael Jodar with a 6-2, 7-6 (0) victory in the quarter-finals of the Madrid Open on Wednesday. This win allowed Sinner to complete the milestone of reaching the semi-finals at all nine Masters 1000 tournaments.
The 19-year-old Jodar has made a significant impact on the ATP tour this clay season, capturing his first ATP title in Marrakesh, reaching the semi-finals in Barcelona, and advancing to the quarter-finals in Madrid before being stopped by Sinner at the Caja Mágica.
Only a year ago, Jodar was competing in college tennis at the University of Virginia and was ranked No 687 globally. With his current performance, he is set to break into the top 35 in the upcoming rankings release on Monday.
Sinner faced a stern test before extending his winning streak to 21 consecutive matches. The Italian will meet either Jiri Lehecka or Arthur Fils in Friday’s semi-final.
Despite the first set scoreline of 6-2, the match was far from straightforward for Sinner. Jodar matched the world No 1’s power, especially on his forehand wing, challenging Sinner in multiple service games. Notably, at 2-2 in the first set, Sinner had to save two break points during a marathon game before securing the set in 44 minutes.
Fueled by enthusiastic home support, Jodar avoided early trouble in the second set and applied pressure on Sinner’s serve. However, he was unable to convert any of the five break points he earned, as Sinner managed to level the score at 4-4. The set proceeded to a tiebreak, where Sinner dominated by winning the last 11 points, securing his place in his first Madrid semi-final.
Potapova Advances to WTA 1000 Semi-Finals
Lucky loser Anastasia Potapova reached the first WTA 1000 semi-final of her career after a hard-fought 6-1, 6-7 (4), 6-3 victory against former world No 1 Karolina Pliskova.
Currently ranked No 56, Potapova had previously defeated Elena Rybakina and Jelena Ostapenko in the earlier rounds. She will face either Marta Kostyuk or Linda Noskova in the semi-finals.
Having recently changed her representation from Russia to Austria, Potapova is the first player representing Austria to reach a WTA 1000 semi-final. Additionally, she is the first lucky loser to advance this far in a tournament of this level.
“It feels great, I wouldn’t lie,” said the 25-year-old. “I’ve been given a second chance, and I’ve been using it very good. It actually can happen in tennis, so that’s why I think it’s one of the most beautiful sports we have. If I was given it, maybe I deserve it, so, yeah, I’m very happy.”
