Rafael Jodar left stunned after ball thrown from crowd during comeback win over Lorenzo Musetti at DC Open

Rafael Jodar's rise up the TP Rankings and into the mainstream of tennis while becoming one of the most exciting talents is one of the stories of 2026. He is enjoying another brilliant run at the DC Open after taking down Lorenzo Musetti 1-6, 6-1, 6-4. However, he was stunned at one stage after a ball was thrown at him from the crowd.

The 19-year-old was fully concentrating on the task at hand, having already taken down Arthur Fils and Kei Nishikori. He was making more of an impression on court with another tricky test in the form of Musetti to now deal with.

It was a one-sided first set going the way of the Italian who won five games in a row to charge ahead. Jodar would drop just five games for the rest of the match as he upped the gears. 26 minutes later, it was all square.

As the third set started, Musetti sailed into a 40-0 lead. Jodar was ready and waiting on the other side of the net for his opponents serve, but that would not be the ball to go at him. Instead, from behind him a ball was flung by someone in the crowd, delaying the start to the point.

Jodar was not happy, immediately startled before first turning to the ball kid behind him and then the crowd where a particular spectator caught his eye. He had his arms out in frustration before getting on with the game, inevitably losing it.

He would stick with Musetti, and was the player to get that crucial break of serve. He had no trouble serving it out, holding to love to seal another impressive victory for another ATP Tour semi-final.

At the start of the year, the name Jodar was not the most familiar one with most tennis fans. Since then, he has exploded onto the ATP Tour and undeniably made a huge impression and a firm statement of intent.

His most notable runs came on clay, winning his maiden ATP Tour title at the Grand Prix Hassan II following a straight sets win over Marco Trungelliti. A quarter-final on home soil in the Madrid Open was another showcasing of his brilliant ability, only losing out to World No.1 and eventual champion Jannik Sinner after giving him some things to think about.

Last-eight appearances at the Rome Open and most significantly Roland Garros have left him in the most tremendous of positions in his very young tennis carer. He came into the North American hardcourt swing ranked 24th in the world. He will most certainly leave the DC Open in a higher position, but where that is and what milestone he hits next is yet to be seen.

His semi-final run means that he is set to debut in the top 20, a meteoric achievement after finishing 2025 168th in the world. He is the favourite against Alejandro Tabilo in the last-four match with another win moving him up to 15th in the world. He could be making his top 10 debut very soon if he can claim a second ATP Tour title. He will creep closer to that barrier into 12th if he does lift the trophy in Washington.