Madrid
Jodar matches Nadal & Alcaraz feat in Madrid, barely 12 km from home
Spaniard sets R2 meeting with De Minaur; Hurkacz, Machac also advance
April 22, 2026
David Ramos/Getty Images
Rafael Jodar was born and raised in Madrid, barely 12 kilometres from the Mutua Madrid Open.
By Jerome Coombe
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.
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.
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 Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, highlighted by his title in Marrakech and a run to the Barcelona semi-finals last week.
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. Hurkacz eased past Jaime Faria 6-3, 6-3 to book a clash with last year’s semi-finalist Lorenzo Musetti, while Machac rallied to a 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-3 win over Francisco Comesana.
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