Rafa Jódar exits Wimbledon after four-set defeat to Shintaro Mochizuki in third round
Spanish teenager Rafa Jódar saw his first Wimbledon campaign end in the third round on Friday, losing to Japan's Shintaro Mochizuki 6-1, 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-4 after a match riddled with unforced errors.
Match breakdown
Rafa Jódar, the 19-year-old from Madrid, started with authority on Court 18, racing through the opening set 6-1 in just 28 minutes. His aggressive return game and quick reflexes had Mochizuki scrambling, but the Japanese player, a former Wimbledon junior champion, gradually steadied himself. Jódar built an early break in the second set only to lose the tiebreak 7-5, a turning point that allowed Mochizuki to control the match. The final two sets both ended 6-4, with Jódar increasingly impatient and Mochizuki's placement-based tactics forcing 52 unforced errors from the Spaniard over three hours and two minutes.
- Rafa Jódar
- 52
- Shintaro Mochizuki
- 24
Injury and preparation gaps
Jódar arrived at the All England Club with no grass-court matches this season after an abdominal muscle injury forced him to withdraw from Queen's and Eastbourne. His lack of match practice on the surface was evident as the contest wore on; he had not played on grass competitively since his junior days two years ago. The defeat marked the first time Jódar lost to a player outside the top 20 in a Grand Slam, his two previous major losses coming at Roland Garros and the Australian Open against elite opponents.
Mochizuki's breakthrough
Shintaro Mochizuki, ranked 151st, had arrived through qualifying with a modest 0-6 record in ATP-level matches. Comfortable on the lawn where he won the junior title in 2019, he became only the third Japanese man in the Open era to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon. The 23-year-old will face defending champion Jannik Sinner for a place in the quarterfinals.
Wider tournament picture
Sinner advanced smoothly with a straight-sets win over Jenson Brooksby. Novak Djokovic, chasing an eighth Wimbledon crown, overcame Arthur Rinderknech in four sets to also book a spot in the last 16. Jessica Bouzas was knocked out by Jessica Pegula in 52 minutes on the women's side.
Prize money milestone
By reaching the third round, Jódar earned €288,000 from a record total purse of €75.1 million, a 2% increase on the previous year, which ended player protests over Grand Slam revenue distribution.
