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This year’s French Open has been defined in many ways by the weather, an unprecedented week of searing heat wreaking havoc on and off the court. That trend came to an end in an instant on Sunday morning as the cool, damp conditions took over in Paris.
Rain or shine, the rise of Rafael Jódar endures. The 19-year-old took another major step forward in his young career as he put together a monumental comeback, recovering from two sets down for the first time in his career to defeat his veteran Spanish compatriot Pablo Carreño Busta 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 and reach the quarter-finals at Roland Garros.
Jódar’s breakthrough season remains one of the most significant tennis stories of the year so far. He now has an outlandish 19 wins and three defeats in his first full clay-court season, reaching the quarter-finals at every event with his Marrakech title, Barcelona semi-final and quarter-finals at Madrid and Rome making way for his first grand slam quarter-final. Having been ranked No 707 a year ago, he will rise to around No 22 in the ATP rankings.
There are times when winning four matches at the majors requires players to tackle one or two truly elite players. This tournament is not one of them. With so many of the top contenders losing early this year in Paris, and so much opportunity left in the draw, one of the greater challenges for the remaining players is keeping their head in the game.
This was true on Saturday, as no fewer than five of the eight men’s matches went to five sets and tension ruled both sides of the court as so many players struggled to either perform at the beginning or close out matches. Jódar, the 27th seed, was clearly so tense early on against his unseeded opponent that at one point he lost nine consecutive games from 4-1 up in the first set to 0-4 down in the second. From two sets down, however, he recovered brilliantly, completely bulldozing Carreño Busta in the final three sets.
In those last three sets, Jódar provided a supreme exhibition of his rare ball-striking ability, completely overpowering the 34-year-old from the baseline. Jódar is already one of the purest shotmakers in the game, his immense ball speed and ability to precisely change directions off both wings from any part of the court a result of his immaculate timing and hand-eye coordination.
Jódar’s nerve and shotmaking will be tested to the limit as he next faces the prohibitive title favourite Alexander Zverev, the second seed, after he defeated the lucky loser Jesper de Jong 7-6 (3), 6-4, 6-1. After being the favourite in his first four matches in Paris, the 27th seed may well enjoy being the underdog once more and attempt to swing freely against an opponent who will have all of the pressure in the world on his shoulders.
