“I am super happy" - Rafael Jodar emulates Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic after run to Rome Open quarter-finals

The remarkable rise of Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar continues at the Rome Open in fine fashion. A convincing 6-1, 6-4 win over fellow young talent Learner Tien to confirm back-to-back Masters 1000 quarter-finals, putting his name among the best in certain stats.

It has been utterly remarkable what Jodar has completed in 2026. He made an impression on the Sunshine swing, first introducing himself with a run to the third round in Miami. He then backed this up with a maiden ATP title at the Grand Prix Hassan II.

This incredible run was culminated with a thrilling showing on home soil, first at the Barcelona Open. His campaign ended to the hands of eventual champion Arthur Fils in three sets at the quarter-final stage. He repeated this feat but this time at the Madrid Open. Notable names such as Joao Fonseca and Alex de Minaur failed to find a way past the 19-year-old who gave the world number one Jannik Sinner a lot to think about on the way to a 6-2, 7-6(0) defeat.

This imperious form has continued to Rome. After finding a way past Nuno Borges and Matteo Arnaldi, Tien was his next opponent. The signs looked bleak for the American after Jodar won five games in a row enroute to clinching the first set. Tien mounted a feeble fightback where he went 3-1 ahead in the second set before the Spaniard won five of the remaining six games to get the job done and dusted.

After the match, he revelled in his success as he was told that he had reached a new high in the rankings. Set to rise ahead of Fonseca into 29th in the world, he will become the highest ranked teenager on the ATP rankings.

“I am super happy. During the tournament I don’t really see the rankings," he commented after the match. “I just try to play the matches, try to be focused on what I have to do you know, so that’s not my priority during the tournaments. So yeah, super happy with how I handled the important moments during this match. Learner’s always a very tough opponent, so super happy to get the win here and to advance to the quarter-finals.”

The task is still not done as he looks onwards in the tournament, eyeing up new heights. “Yeah, I mean it’s always many people coming to the matches,” he said. “You just try to be focused during the matches, really important moments of the match. Here in tennis there are many up and downs because there is also another player in front of you who is also playing great levels, so yeah just try to be there and try to mentally be there.”

As per statisticians OptaAce, Jodar has become the first teenager to reach the Madrid Open and Rome Open last-eight stages in the same season since a certain Rafael Nadal completed this in 2005. The Spanish icon would also win both titles, a statement of intent as he went on to become the dominant force on the surface for just under two decades.

He has also become the first teenager to reach this stage in Rome since six-time champion Novak Djokovic in 2007. That was his first venture to the Italian capital, similar to Jodar, in striking similarities between the young talent and 24-time Grand Slam champion.

Jodar has the opportunity of going one step closer to a maiden Masters 1000 title. He will need to defeat either world number three Alexander Zverev or the Italian Luciano Darderi in the quarter-finals.