Jannik Sinner confirmed the favoritism this Wednesday. The world number 1 beat the Spanish Rafael Jódar by 2 sets to 0, with partials of 6/2 and 7/6 (7-0), in 1h56 of the match. The Italian advanced to the semifinals of the Masters 1000 of Madri.
Este was the first confrontation between the two on the circuit. Jódar, 19 years old and 42nd in the ranking, had eliminated the Brazilian João Fonseca in the previous round and arrived as one of the sensations of the week. Sinner dominated the pace most of the time, but needed concentration in the tie-break of the second half.
Sinner sets the pace early and closes the first set with breaks
The game started balanced. The two tennis players exchanged long points from the opening games. Sinner waited for the right moment to accelerate.
In the fifth game, the Italian achieved the first break of service. Ele repeated the dose in the seventh game. With the serve in hand, he closed the partial at 6/2. Jódar tried aggressive responses, but made more mistakes in decisive moments.
Sinner used his backhand and serve well. Ele converted opportunities efficiently. The Spaniard, despite the defeat in the set, showed good positioning and consistent ball changes for someone making his debut in the quarterfinals of Masters 1000.
Jódar presses, but Sinner decides in the tie-break
The second half remained more competitive. Jódar came close to breaking Sinner’s serve on two occasions. The Italian saved the dangerous moments and maintained his balance.
Sem breaks, the set goes to a tie-break. Sinner didn’t give it a chance. Ele opened 7-0 and closed the victory with authority. In total, the world number 1 scored six aces and made few mistakes in important points.
- Sinner converted the two breaks he had in the first set
- Jódar saved most of the break points faced in the second half
- Italiano dominated the tie-break without losing any points
- Partida lasted 1h56 with a high level of exchanges
- Sinner maintained 21 consecutive wins in the season
Historic Marca places Sinner among circuit legends
With the victory, Sinner reached the semifinals of the nine Masters 1000s of his career. Ele matched Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Alexander Zverev.
The Italian now has 21 consecutive victories. Esta is the second biggest streak of his career. The biggest was 26 victories, between Xangai 2024 and the final of Roma 2025.
Jódar leaves Madri with a good impression. The young Spaniard demanded a lot from the leader of the ranking and gained positions in the ranking with the campaign. Ele is looking to climb further up the ATP list after his good showing.
Detalhes from the match shows the evolution of Jódar
The confrontation had high-level moments. Sinner needed to raise his game in the final stretch of each set. Jódar, who came from college tennis to the professional circuit, demonstrated maturity.
In the first half, the Spaniard competed on equal terms until the fifth game. Depois, felt the pressure from number 1. In the second set, he was closer to a break, but failed to define it.
Sinner praised his rival after the game. The Italian recognized the quality of his opponent and the difficulty encountered on the court. The Spanish fans supported Jódar throughout the match in Caixa Mágica’s Complexo.
Próximos steps up to Sinner in title hunt
The Italian competes for a place in the final against the winner on the other side of the bracket. Ele tries to win the first title of 2026 on clay from Madri.
Jódar returns to the circuit with morale. The 19-year-old has accumulated important victories this season and is aiming for further progress in the rankings. The campaign in Madri already represents his best result in Masters 1000.
Sinner maintains solid form. The world number 1 remains the main favorite for the title in the Spanish tournament.