Rafa Jódar storms into Roland Garros quarter-finals with epic comeback as Swiatek crashes out in Paris

Jódar's remarkable recovery

Rafael Jódar, the 19-year-old from Leganés, fought back from two sets down to defeat veteran compatriot Pablo Carreño 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 in 3 hours and 41 minutes on Court Suzanne-Lenglen. The world number 29 lost nine consecutive games across the first two sets, trailing 4-0 in the second, before mounting a decisive turnaround. Carreño, 34, required medical treatment for a right shoulder problem at the end of the third set and was unable to maintain his earlier dominance.

Many players would have let themselves go and thought that the fourth round was enough, but I believed I could give a little more.

Carreño's praise and prophecy

After the match, Carreño paid generous tribute to his young opponent, predicting Jódar would soon compete with the sport's elite. He stated that Jódar has the qualities to challenge Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz for the world number one ranking in the near future.

Competing with Carlos and Jannik is something he will be able to do very soon. Of course he can be at that level. It's his first year, he's very young and has a lot of room to improve.

A unique support system

Jódar's player box has drawn attention for its unusual emptiness. Only his father, Rafael, sits there during matches — a deliberate choice symbolising their journey together from a garage in Leganés to the professional tour. The young Spaniard confirmed that he alone decides who sits in his box, and for now, only his father has that right.

He has always been with me, he has been my biggest support since I was a child.

Swiatek's shock exit

In the women's draw, world number three Iga Swiatek suffered a surprising 7-5, 6-1 defeat to Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk. The four-time Roland Garros champion admitted she felt tense and disconnected, marking her earliest exit at the tournament since 2019. Swiatek has now gone two years without a clay-court title, her once-dominant surface.

Clearly, it wasn't a good day at the office. I was very tense, I felt disconnected. At least I feel there is a specific reason and therefore maybe a solution can be found.

A wide-open tournament

The upsets have left the draws unusually open. Only Aryna Sabalenka remains among the women's top five, guaranteeing a new champion will be crowned on Saturday. In the men's event, Alexander Zverev stands as the highest seed left, with Jódar set to face either Zverev or Dutch qualifier Jesper De Jong in the quarter-finals on Tuesday. Jódar becomes the eighth male player under 20 this century to reach the Roland Garros last eight, joining names like Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Alcaraz, and Sinner.