World number one Jannik Sinner battled past 19‑year‑old wildcard Rafael Jodar, clinching a 6‑2, 7‑6 (7‑0) victory in the Madrid Open quarter‑finals on Wednesday. The win not only secured his place in the last four but also made him the sixth player in history to reach the semi‑final stage of every single ATP Masters 1000 event.
In the second set Sinner demonstrated remarkable resilience, fending off five break points and then rattling off an eleven‑point streak that sealed the match against the Spaniard. The 24‑year‑old displayed a disciplined, all‑court game from the opening game. He broke Jodar twice in the first set, building a 5‑2 lead before finishing the set with a powerful backhand winner that left no doubt about his intent.
Jodar, who captured his maiden tour title in Morocco earlier this month, showed flashes of brilliance of his own. He surged ahead 4‑2 in the second set, prompting Sinner to dig deep and save two break points to level the score at 3‑3.
A double fault from the Italian gave Jodar a chance to break again, but Sinner responded with a crisp cross‑court forehand and two backhand winners that skimmed the sideline, forcing Jodar to defend fiercely. The momentum swung back and forth. Sinner surged to a 40‑15 advantage in the following game, yet Jodar managed to save three break points and eventually take the game.
Undeterred, Sinner kept his composure, and when the set progressed to a tiebreak, he dominated, unleashing a forehand that Jodar could not reach. The tiebreak ended 7‑0, confirming Sinner’s passage to the semi‑finals.
Speaking to Sky Sports Tennis after the match, Sinner praised his opponent: "He's an incredible player, Spain has another amazing talent and it’s great for the sport. It was a tough challenge – I knew before the match it would be very difficult to beat him, especially here. He’s from Madrid, he knows exactly how to play in these conditions. At the same time, I gained a little more experience in the second set, got a bit lucky at times, but I tried to keep the level as high as I could.
I’m happy with how I ended the match. I tried to raise my level a little, play a bit faster and that helped me." Sinner’s next opponent will be either France’s Arthur Fils or the Czech Republic’s Jiri Lehecka, who are scheduled to meet later on Wednesday.
In the women’s draw, Anastasia Potapova turned a recent qualifying disappointment into a historic achievement. The Russian‑born Austrian became the first lucky loser ever to reach a WTA 1000 semi‑final after defeating former world No.
1 Karolina Pliskova 6‑1, 6‑7 (4‑7), 6‑3 in a thrilling three‑set encounter. Potapova, who fell in the qualifying rounds last week, seized her unexpected main‑draw spot and stunned Pliskova despite squandering three match points. Her run in Madrid has already featured impressive victories over former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko and world No.
2 Elena Rybakina, underscoring her ability to compete with the sport’s elite. When asked whether she ever imagined being among the final four after her qualifying loss, the unseeded Potapova replied, "No, I wouldn’t have believed it for any amount of money. That’s what makes our sport beautiful.
I was given a second chance and now I’m here. I’m super happy.
There’s nothing better that could happen to me right now." The final set saw Potapova trail 3‑1, but she rallied to win five consecutive games, clinching the match with her tenth ace before collapsing to her knees in relief. Reflecting on the experience, she said, "I had a few match points in the second set on serve. I couldn’t manage my nerves at the time, I know that.
But it seems like this tournament keeps giving me second chances and I keep using them." Potapova will face Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the semi‑finals after Kostyuk dispatched Linda Noskova 7‑6 (7‑1), 6‑0. Kostyuk, who eliminated Potapova in the fourth round of the Madrid Open last year, remains unbeaten on clay this season.
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