Quarterfinal victory over Fils

Rafael Jódar defeated 22-year-old Frenchman Arthur Fils 7-6(5), 6-3 on Tuesday at the Canadian Open in Montreal, advancing to his first ATP Masters 1000 semifinal. The match, originally scheduled for Monday, was postponed by rain and then interrupted for an additional hour on Tuesday when Jódar led 5-4 in the first set. The 19-year-old from Leganés controlled the tiebreak from the start and dictated play throughout, closing out the contest in 1 hour and 42 minutes. It was his third meeting with Fils this year: Fils won their first encounter in the Barcelona semifinals, while Jódar won in Washington two weeks earlier with the identical scoreline.

The frustration told on Fils. Trailing 2-1 in the second set, the Frenchman smashed his racket against the court twice, leaving it completely destroyed. Jódar had broken Fils's serve in the opening game and built a 3-0 lead, though he squandered five further break-point opportunities in the next two Fils service games. At 1.91 metres tall, the Spaniard dictated the rhythm of the match while Fils grew increasingly desperate over his own errors at key moments.

A record-breaking ascent

Jódar's rise has been vertiginous. In July 2025 he was ranked world No. 555; at the start of 2026 he was around No. 200. He now stands at No. 15 and will rise to at least No. 11 after this tournament. If he wins the Canadian Open, he would become the fastest player to break the top 10 after first breaking the top 100, completing the jump in 140 days. Boris Becker set the existing record of 210 days in 1985.

The Madrid native has more wins in his first 50 matches than any teenager in men's tennis during the Open Era. His quarterfinal against Fils was his seventh in his past eight tournaments, a streak dating back to March. This season he has won the ATP 250 title in Marrakech, reached the final of the ATP 500 in Washington (losing to Taylor Fritz), and made the semifinals of the ATP 500 in Barcelona. He also reached quarterfinals at the Masters 1000 events in Madrid and Rome.

The return game as signature weapon

Jódar's return statistics in Montreal have drawn particular attention. According to LaSexta, he has won 47% of points returning opponents' first serves across his four matches; La Razón reports the figure at 43%. On second-serve returns, La Razón reports 53%, meaning he wins more points than he loses when the first serve does not land. In the Fils match alone, Jódar claimed 15 points returning first serves and 16 returning second serves. His return game ranks among the best on the ATP circuit, behind only Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Daniil Medvedev.

Praise from peers and what comes next

Ben Shelton, the tournament's top seed and defending champion, praised Jódar in a news conference on Tuesday.

“I didn't expect there to be another college guy within three years who was 500 in the world and then top 20 within a year. He's probably going to be top 10 and outdo me, or what I did in 2023. He's got a great game, a complete game, good athlete. Forehand, backhand, return up there with the best of the world.”

Jódar himself assessed his performance against Fils with measured confidence.

“Today I played at a very high level against a difficult player like Arthur. I had to give my best to win.”

In the semifinals, Jódar will face American Brandon Nakashima (world No. 31), who defeated Luciano Darderi 6-2, 6-3. The other semifinal pits Shelton against fellow American Learner Tien (world No. 19), who eliminated Spain's Daniel Mérida 6-3, 6-2. Shelton crushed Czech prospect Jakub Mensik 6-3, 6-1 in his quarterfinal. A victory for Jódar in the semifinal would put him within reach of the top 10 and strengthen his bid to become the first debutant on the circuit to qualify for the ATP Finals, reserved for the top eight points earners of the year. Sinner and Alcaraz are both absent from Montreal with injuries, targeting the US Open, which begins on August 30 in New York.