Teenager Rafael Jodar battled back from two sets down to outlast veteran Pablo Carreno Busta 4-6 4-6 6-1 6-2 6-2 in their all-Spanish battle of the generations on Sunday, and book a quarterfinal spot in his maiden French Open. Order of Play | Win with SPAR | Watch Live on DStv The 19-year-old clay court specialist, who turned pro only late last year, is seen as one of the dark horses for the title following the surprise exit of several top contenders, including world No
1 Jannick Sinner. He has now won two consecutive five-set matches after edging past Alex Michelsen in the previous round. Jodar earned an early break to take a 4-2 lead but his opponent stayed patient and was rewarded with four match points on the trot and the first set, as the teenager’s form dipped suddenly. The teenager who had an impressive first clay season on tour with a maiden title in Marrakesh, a last-four spot in Barcelona and the quarterfinals in Madrid and Rome, struggled
to find a way into the match with 34-year-old Carreno Busta earning two more breaks to go 4-0 up in the second set. Jodar, who was ranked 707th 12 months ago, sprang back to life, winning three straight games, but could not stop Carreno Busta sealing the second set with a perfect serve and volley on his second set point. He found a way back into the match with an early break in the third set and won it with more aggressive play and an
attacking forehand. Carreno Busta then took a medical timeout for treatment to his right shoulder but he could not stop the unforced errors piling up, with Jodar clinching two breaks to send the match to a decider. The teenager showed some nerves at the end but clinched his memorable victory on his fifth match point after three hours and 41 minutes. He will face either second seed Alexander Zverev or Dutchman Jesper De Jong in the last eight. ZVEREV SPOILS LUCKY LOSER DE JONG’S BIRTHDAY
WITH STRAIGHT SETS VICTORY Second seed Alexander Zverev cruised past lucky loser Jesper De Jong 7-6(3) 6-4 6-1 on Sunday to book his spot in the French Open quarterfinals and edge closer to an elusive maiden Grand Slam title. The French Open is seen as the 29-year-old’s best chance to finally land the first Grand Slam trophy of his career, with many of the top contenders, including world No 1 Jannick Sinner and 24-timed major champion Novak Djokovic, already eliminated. The pair traded breaks in
the first set before Zverev won the tiebreak to take control of the match. De Jong, ranked 106th in the world who came into the main draw as a lucky loser, was playing the biggest match of his career on his 26th birthday but there was little joy for him. Zverev, who has now reached the quarterfinals in Paris eight times, was too strong, firing baseline winners seemingly at will, and earning two set points on De Jong’s serve at 5-4. He needed only one
to move two sets up after the Dutchman sank a volley into the net. The world No 3 then powered to a 3-0 lead in the third and wrapped up the match a little later when De Jong sent a backhand into the net. He will now face Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar, who made the quarterfinals in his maiden French Open. (Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; editing by Clare Fallon)
French Open, Rafael Jodar, Pablo Carreno Busta, Alexander Zverev, Jesper De Jong, lucky loser, quarterfinal