Jannik Sinner halted the impressive run of teenage home favorite Rafael Jodar with a 6-2, 7-6 (0) victory at the Madrid Open on Wednesday, securing his place in the semi-finals and completing a set of final-four appearances at all nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments.
Jodar's Meteoric Rise
The 19-year-old Spaniard has taken the clay season by storm, winning his maiden ATP title in Marrakesh, reaching the semi-finals in Barcelona, and making the quarter-finals in Madrid before being stopped by the world No. 1 at the Caja Mágica. This time last year, Jodar was playing college tennis for the University of Virginia and ranked 687th in the world. He will break into the top 35 when the new rankings are released on Monday.
A Tough Test for Sinner
Despite the 6-2 first-set scoreline, Sinner faced a stern challenge from Jodar, who matched the Italian's firepower, especially on the forehand. Sinner had to save two break points in a marathon service game at 2-2 before taking the set in 44 minutes. In the second set, Jodar pressured Sinner's serve but could not convert any of five break points, as the world No. 1 leveled at 4-4. The tiebreak was dominated by Sinner, who won the last 11 points of the match to advance. Sinner will face Arthur Fils in the semi-finals after the Frenchman defeated Jiri Lehecka 6-3, 6-4.
Potapova Reaches First WTA 1000 Semi-Final
Lucky loser Anastasia Potapova reached her first WTA 1000 semi-final with a 6-1, 6-7 (4), 6-3 win over former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova. The world No. 56, who had previously eliminated Elena Rybakina and Jelena Ostapenko, will face Marta Kostyuk after the Ukrainian beat Linda Noskova 7-6 (1), 6-0. Potapova, who recently switched allegiance from Russia to Austria, is the first player representing Austria to reach a WTA 1000 semi-final and the first lucky loser to achieve this at this level. "It feels great, I wouldn't lie," said the 25-year-old. "I've been given a second chance, and I've been using it very good."
