Italian Luciano Darderi: Spanish teen sensation Rafael Jodar continued his rapid rise on clay by powering into the quarter-finals of the Italian Open with a commanding straight-sets victory over American youngster Learner Tien on Tuesday.
The 19-year-old produced another statement performance at the Foro Italico, defeating Tien 6-1, 6-4 to become the first teenager since Novak Djokovic in 2007 to reach the quarter-finals at multiple ATP Masters 1000 events in the same season.
Djokovic reached the Italian Open quarter-finals as a teenager in 2007, shortly before turning 20, while Rafael Nadal remains the youngest semi-finalist in the tournament this century after his run in 2006. Jodar now has the opportunity to place himself alongside those names in the event’s history books.
Already one of the breakout names of the 2026 clay swing after winning the Marrakech title and making deep runs in Barcelona and Madrid, Jodar now looks increasingly comfortable on the sport’s biggest stages.
“I am super happy. I just try to play the matches and be focused on what I have to do. I am super happy with how I handled the important moments in this match. Learner is a tough opponent,” Jodar said after the match.
What had been billed as a battle between two of the sport’s brightest young prospects quickly turned into a showcase of Jodar’s growing authority from the baseline. The Spaniard flew out of the blocks with relentless intensity, pinning Tien behind the baseline with heavy groundstrokes and repeatedly opening up the court with sharp angles. The American struggled to absorb the pace early on as Jodar stormed through the opening set in just over half an hour.
Tien briefly shifted the momentum in the second set by breaking early and moving 3-1 ahead after increasing the aggression on his forehand and flattening out his cross-court exchanges. But Jodar’s response was immediate.
The Madrid-born teenager reeled off four consecutive games, rediscovered his depth and timing off the backhand wing, and steadily dismantled Tien’s left-handed patterns with remarkable composure. Apart from that brief lapse early in the second set, Jodar looked firmly in control throughout the contest and consistently found ways to dictate the rallies.
The win also continued a remarkable run of form on clay, with Jodar now tied for the most tour-level victories on the surface this season with 15. His breakthrough fortnight in Rome has already secured another major milestone. Jodar is projected to rise to No. 29 in the live ATP rankings, which would make him the highest-ranked teenager in men’s tennis ahead of Brazilian prodigy Joao Fonseca.
Elsewhere, Casper Ruud eased past Italian Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 6-1 to reach the last eight without dropping a set, while Karen Khachanov defeated Croatian qualifier Dino Prizmic 6-1, 7-6(2).
Article Source: IANS