Jodar Overcomes Friendship in Tight Jeddah Win
Rafael Jodar set aside club ties to edge Martin Landaluce at the Next Gen ATP Finals, firing winners and saving set points to keep his semi-final push alive in a gripping Blue Group decider.
In the electric hum of Jeddah’s indoor arena, Rafael Jodar turned a deep-rooted rivalry into raw determination. The 19-year-old Spaniard, chasing his first major breakthrough, faced off against longtime friend and clubmate Martin Landaluce on Friday at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF. What emerged was a 4-3(7), 4-1, 4-3(2) battle where Jodar’s mental edge sliced through shared history, blasting 31 winners to stay firmly in the Blue Group contention.
The opener unfolded as a nerve-shredding affair on the fast hard courts, with Landaluce charging inside-in forehands to seize control. Jodar, drawing from a 2025 season of hard-fought lessons, countered with heavy topspin crosscourt to stretch rallies and reset the tempo. He fended off four set points at 3-4, mixing low slices that skidded low and net approaches that forced errors, ultimately snatching the tie-break 7-2.
“I’m very happy how I handled the important moments and the pressure moments in this match,” said Jodar. “Super happy to get the win here. I’ve been playing against him for a long time. We are very good friends. We are from the same tennis club, Club de Tenis Chamartin.”
Facing idols sharpens the edge
With his idol Rafael Nadal watching from courtside, Jodar channeled that intensity into the second set, where he dominated with a one–two punch of serve and forehand. The 4-1 rout came as he pinned Landaluce deep with inside-out backhands, exploiting the surface’s speed to disrupt patterns honed on slower clay. Crowd murmurs built as Jodar’s serve held firm, his second-delivery winning 92 percent of points—12 out of 13—turning potential breaks into holds.
The decider brought another tie-break test, but Jodar stayed composed, varying down-the-line passes with short angles to keep his opponent guessing. This watertight second serve, refined through mid-season tweaks under fatigue, stemmed the tide against Landaluce’s aggressive returns. The Spaniard’s calm variations echoed months of adapting to quicker conditions, transforming a friendship-fueled match into a personal triumph.
“Rafa has been my idol for a long time, since I was very young,” said the teenager. “I used to watch all of his matches. He was my role model in tennis. I’m super happy that he was here. It means a lot that he came to Saudi Arabia to watch this tournament.”
Decider hangs over semi-final path
Jodar’s victory boosts his semi-final chances, but the Blue Group’s outcome now rests on tonight’s clash between Learner Tien and leader Nicolai Budkov Kjaer, who holds a 2–0 record. He advances with any result short of a four-set Tien win, while the Dane secures his spot by taking a set. Tien, sitting at 1-1, must grind out a three- or four-set victory to surge ahead.
For Jodar, this wait captures a season of controlled chaos, where off-court bonds with Martin Landaluce and Rafael Jodar himself fuel focus rather than distraction. The Jeddah stage, alive with under-21 promise, tests his poise one more time. As the lights hold steady, his unflinching nerve under Nadal’s gaze points to a maturing contender ready for the next leap.
