Jódar powers into his first ATP final
Rafa Jódar has reached the first ATP final of his career. The Madrid-born player beat Argentina’s Ugo Carabelli 6-2, 6-1 at the Marrakech tournament in Morocco and is now one victory away from lifting his first trophy on tour.
At 19, Jódar is putting together an excellent opening stretch to the season. He picked up his first Grand Slam win at the Australian Open, reached the third round at the ATP Masters 1000 in Miami, and has now broken into the Top 100. His run to the final will lift him to No. 66, a long way from where he stood a year ago, when he was outside the Top 900. Tennis, as ever, remains a sport where time is either cruel or extremely generous.
The Spaniard could hardly have asked for a better debut on his first ATP clay swing. Against Carabelli, he looked composed from the start. He earned his first break point in the fourth game and converted it, moving the Argentine around the court until the error came. That gave him a 3-1 lead, which he confirmed immediately with another break to close out the first set 6-2.
The second set followed a similar script. Jódar saved a break point in the opening game, got through the one awkward moment, and then returned to his cruising speed. He broke again to move 2-0 ahead, with his forehand becoming his main weapon as Carabelli tried and failed to find a way back. Jódar saved another break point, earned yet another break to make it 4-0, and wrapped up the match shortly after with a 6-1 set, a straight-sets win, and a place in the final.
"My feelings on court have been very good," Jódar said. "I’m very happy with my level. But there is one more match, the final, and it is going to be very difficult. Now I need to recover well, feel good, and be ready for Sunday because it will surely be very tough. I need to recover and keep the same good mindset as always."
Jódar is also the second player born in 2006 or later to reach an ATP final, after João Fonseca.
Trungelliti stands in the way after a history-making run
Jódar will face Marco Trungelliti in the title match. The Argentine beat top seed Luciano Darderi 6-4, 7-6(2) to become the oldest player in the Open Era to reach his first ATP final.
At 36 years and two months, Trungelliti will also become the oldest player in five decades to break into the Top 100 for the first time. The previous benchmark belonged to Víctor Estrella Burgos, who reached the final in Quito in 2015 at 34 years and 190 days.
"I believed in it, that is one of the reasons I am here. Otherwise it would not have been possible. I also worked very hard. My team, my wife, my son, all of us believed this record could be broken. And that is exactly what we have done," Trungelliti said on court.
Jódar is taking the challenge seriously, as he should.
"All players are good, and if Trungelliti has reached the final, it is because he earned it," Jódar said. "He came through qualifying, so he has played two more matches than I have, and he has a lot of experience on tour because he has been playing for many years. Now I want to play as well as I can, bring my best level, and enjoy being on court."
Trungelliti’s week has already turned into a dream run. He has also secured direct entry into the Roland Garros main draw, after climbing to No. 76.
"After fighting through qualifying for 7,000 years, I’m finally going to be in the main draw without having to fight like an animal. That is a huge change for me. I’ll also be able to go straight into the Wimbledon main draw. But my goal is different. My work is not finished, I want a little more," he said after reaching the semifinals.
