A new Rafa emerges

By Richard Osborn

19-year-old spaniard Jodar on cusp of top 10

This time last year, Rafael Jodar was all but a promise; a lanky 6-foot-3 Spaniard with a fierce forehand and a familiar forename.

Ranked No. 540, the Madrileño had made some noise on the junior circuit, won the 2024 US Open boys’ singles title, even earned a spot on the men’s team at the University of Virginia. But, as is always the case with teen phenoms, there were no guarantees that it would all translate at the highest levels of the game.

Fast forward and Jodar finds himself on the cusp of the Top 10 in the PIF ATP Rankings, having made good on that promise and then some. Coming into the 2026 Cincinnati Open, the 19-year-old had advanced to at least the quarterfinals in seven of the eight tournaments he had played since the start of April, including Roland Garros and ATP Masters 1000 events in Madrid, Rome and Montreal.

His maiden tour-level title came earlier this year in Marrakech, where he became the tournament’s first-ever teen champ. Earlier this month, he played his way into the final in Washington.

“I really like him. I really like the way that he plays,” said Jodar’s countryman Carlos Alcaraz earlier this year in Indian Wells. “No fear. Off the court, he’s a really nice guy, respects everybody on the tour. But once he steps on the court, he believes in himself and he believes he can beat anybody. We’re going to see more of Rafa in the next couple of years.”

Now Jodar is into the Round of 16 here in Cincinnati, one of only three teenagers to make it this far this decade along with Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton. How he got here bodes well for the former collegian’s future. He’s shown that he can win even when he doesn’t have his best stuff.

Playing Canadian Denis Shapovalov in his opener on the Grandstand, Jodar faced a 1-5 third-set deficit, needing all but a miracle to survive. Problem-solving on the fly, he overcame a match point, a double-break deficit and some janky shoelaces to prevail, 7-5, 4-6, 7-4.

“You have to win with what you have,” said Jodar, who turned pro in December. “I think that’s very important. I’ve given everything in my training sessions when I’m back at home, so I think all the hard work that I put in in the preseason, and in all the training weeks, I think it’s for matches like this one.”

“First matches are always very tough, very tricky, because the conditions are different from the previous week. The first match really helped me get used to these conditions, to play a better level of tennis.”

He had an easier time in Round 3 in his P&G Stadium Court debut, sweeping aside Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo, 6-2, 6-1. Next up for the 12th seed is a tough test against Roland Garros runner-up Flavio Cobolli of Italy. As he continues to make strides, Jodar will keep putting himself into positions like these: Big matches against big opponents.

“There’s still a long way to go this season, but I’m happy how these months are going for me,” he said. “I’m also eager to improve my game.”

Has he taken a moment to reflect on how far he’s come? Jumping 429 rankings spots in a matter of 12 months, after all, is no small accomplishment.

“When you’re playing a lot of tournament, a lot of matches, it’s difficult to sit down and reflect on what you’ve done,” he said. “But I think the progression has been great since last year. I’ve improved a lot. It’s helping to play on different surfaces, against different opponents, different styles of play.”