Rafael Jodar continued his hot run of form with an opening victory at the Italian Open.
The 19-year-old Spaniard burst onto the scene recently when he made the semifinals of the Barcelona Open.
Jodar followed it up by reaching the quarterfinals in Madrid, beating Alex de Minaur and Joao Fonseca en route before falling to world number one Jannik Sinner.
His performances have seen his ranking skyrocket, and the young star is now placed 34th in the world; two spots off being seeded at Grand Slams.
Where do you think Rafael Jodar will be ranked at the end of 2026?
Now, Jodar has won his first match in Rome against Nuno Borges in straight sets, 7-6, 6-4.
Rafael Jodar reacts to his success so far in 2026
Asked how he has been able to jump so high in the rankings this year in his post-match press conference, Jodar replied: “I think just try to accept whatever happens in the tournaments.
“Some weeks you have to accept that things are not going as you could like to.
Can anyone stop Jannik Sinner at the Italian Open?
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“But yes, try to be there and learn from those matches. I think it’s very important to analyze the matches and to also share your thoughts with your team.
“They can give you feedback. I think that was really, really important. I follow my own path, but I think I’m doing a great job in accepting things.”
With the triumph over Borges, Jodar improved his season win-loss record to 18-8.
Rafael Jodar says he has to ‘improve everything’
Jodar has shown plenty of promising signs, but he realises there is a long way to go before he starts competing for Grand Slams.
“I think overall, I have to improve everything,” he said. “If you want to play against the best players in the world, you have to have a really complete game, and you have to play at a high level for a long time.
“All these tournaments, we know that we have to be there in every tournament that we play.
“The most important thing for me is to enjoy the process. I think I’m doing a great job in that.
“It’s my first time. It’s going to be my many first times for me since this is my first year on tour.
“So yeah, just try to enjoy every tournament and obviously try to do my best.”
Jodar will take on Matteo Arnaldi in the next round of the Italian Open.
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