Jodar joins Nadal and Alcaraz with Madrid home win
The 19-year-old wild card fought through early tension on familiar clay to secure a three-set victory that signals his arrival among Spain’s elite prospects.
Rafael Jodar was made to work hard on his debut at the Mutua Madrid Open on Wednesday, but the rising Spaniard ultimately delivered an opening treat for his home fans.
Opening set exposes debut tension
The 19-year-old wild card, who grew up training barely 12 kilometres from the Caja Magica, rallied past Jesper de Jong 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 to advance at the Spanish ATP Masters 1000 event. Jodar, competing at a career-high No. 42 in the PIF ATP Rankings after claiming his maiden ATP Tour title in Marrakech earlier this month, will next face fifth seed Alex de Minaur.
Jodar showed understandable early nerves, having attended the tournament as a fan in his youth, but the Spaniard gradually found his rhythm to secure a clutch victory. He saved all three break points he faced in the second set before converting his fifth set point and edging a topsy turvy decider.
With his two-hour, 30-minute victory, Jodar became just the third Spaniard — after Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz — to record a main-draw win in Madrid before turning 20.
Clay pace demands heavier spin adjustments
Just 12 months ago, Jodar was ranked outside the world’s Top 650, but he has since enjoyed a remarkable rise and established himself as one of the sport’s brightest prospects. The Madrid native competed at last year’s Next Gen ATP Finals and now holds a 14-7 tour-level record in 2026,according to the ATP Win/Loss Index, highlighted by his title in Marrakech and a run to the Barcelona semi-finals last week.
Jodar opened with tentative footwork on the slower Madrid surface, allowing Jesper de Jong to pin him behind the baseline with deep crosscourt drives that stretched the Spaniard wide. The first set slipped away as unforced errors mounted on the inside-out forehand attempts. Yet the teenager shortened his swing preparation between points and began layering extra topspin on the return to neutralize the Dutch player’s depth.
By the middle of the second set those changes produced cleaner contact and shorter rallies that favored Jodar’s emerging power. He saved all three break points he faced in the second set before converting his fifth set point and edging a topsy turvy decider. The surface here rewards players who can sustain heavy topspin rallies while mixing in occasional slice approaches, a pattern Jodar refined during the second and third sets against de Jong.
Schedule pressure builds for next test
Next comes fifth seed Alex de Minaur, a player whose speed and return game will demand continued tactical clarity on the Madrid clay. The psychological task is to treat the match as another step rather than a referendum on his rapid ascent. A successful one–two combination off the serve will be essential if Jodar hopes to keep the Australian from turning defense into offense on the slower clay.
In other evening action on Wednesday in Madrid, French qualifier Benjamin Bonzi defeated countryman Titouan Droguet 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 6-4 to set up a meeting with top seed Jannik Sinner. The World No. 1 arrives on a 17-match winning streak, having captured titles in Indian Wells, Miami and Monte-Carlo.
Hubert Hurkacz and Tomas Machac were also among the first-round winners on Wednesday. Hubert Hurkacz eased past Jaime Faria 6-3, 6-3 to book a clash with last year’s semi-finalist Lorenzo Musetti, while Tomas Machac rallied to a 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-3 win over Francisco Comesana.
