World number one Jannik Sinner demonstrated his composure and skill on Wednesday by edging past 19‑year‑old wildcard Rafael Jodar with a 6‑2, 7‑6 (7‑0) victory in the quarter‑finals of the Madrid Open. The win secured Sinner's place as the sixth player in history to reach the semi‑final stage of all nine ATP Masters 1000 events. The Italian opened the match with a disciplined display, breaking the Spanish hopeful twice to build a 5‑2 lead in the first set. A powerful backhand winner capped the set, giving Sinner a comfortable 6‑2 advantage.
Jodar, who captured his maiden tour title in Morocco earlier in the month, fought back in the second set, pulling ahead 4‑2 before Sinner rescued two break points to level the score at 3‑3. Sinner's resilience was evident as he weathered five break‑point chances in the second set.
A double fault from the Italian momentarily gave Jodar a chance to break, but Sinner responded with a crisp cross‑court forehand and two backhand winners that skimmed the sideline, preserving his serve. The momentum swung back and forth, with Sinner eventually taking a 40‑15 lead, only for Jodar to fend off three more break points and claim the game. When the set reached a tiebreak, Sinner raised his level dramatically.
He dominated the breaker, unleashing a forehand that Jodar could not reach, and closed out the tiebreak 7‑0. The decisive performance not only earned Sinner a spot in the semi‑finals but also marked his second clay‑court title chase of the season after his triumph at the Monte‑Carlo Masters.
Looking ahead, Sinner will meet either France's rising star Arthur Fils or the Czech prodigy Jiri Lehecka, who are scheduled to play later on Wednesday. After the match, Sinner told Sky Sports Tennis: "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 that beating him here would be difficult, especially because he knows the conditions so well. I gained a bit more experience in the second set, got a little lucky at times, but I tried to keep the level as high as possible.
I'm happy with how I finished the match; I tried to raise my intensity and it paid off." In the women's draw, Anastasia Potapova made history by becoming the first lucky loser to reach a WTA 1000 semi‑final. After losing in the qualifying rounds, the Russian‑born Austrian seized her unexpected main‑draw entry and stunned former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova with a 6‑1, 6‑7 (4‑7), 6‑3 win. Potapova's run has already featured impressive victories over former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko and world No.
2 Elena Rybakina. When asked whether she ever imagined being among the final four after her qualifying defeat, 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 – nothing better could happen to me right now." Potapova's semi‑final clash will be against Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk, who dispatched Linda Noskova 7‑6 (7‑1), 6‑0. Kostyuk, who eliminated Potapova in the fourth round of the previous year's Madrid tournament, has been unbeaten on clay this season. Both the ATP and WTA events continue to draw large audiences, with live coverage available on Sky Sports and streaming through NOW and the Sky Sports app. Subscribers can enjoy more than 50 percent additional live sport at no extra cost, reinforcing the growing accessibility of top‑level tennis for fans worldwide.