Top-seeded Jannik Sinner saved all seven break points he faced and stretched his winning streak to 21 matches by taking down Rafael Jodar 6-2, 7-6 (0) on Wednesday to advance to the semifinals of the Mutua Madrid Open.
Sinner stroked 28 winners against 12 unforced errors while winning the quarterfinal match in one hour, 55 minutes against the 19-year-old Spaniard, who is a native of Madrid.
Sinner was pushed hard in the second set by Jodar before dominating a tiebreaker to win the match.
“He pushed me to the limit,” Sinner said of Jodar. “He’s an incredible player. I tried to be ready as much as I could. But I’m incredibly happy. It was a very high quality match. I got a bit lucky in the second set, but also had a bit of experience. I’m obviously very happy to be in the semis here for the first time. It means a lot to me.”
Sinner will face No. 21 Arthur Fils of France in his semifinal match. Fils recorded a 6-3, 6-4 quarterfinal victory over No. 11 Jiri Lehecka of Czechia.
Sinner won the lone career meeting between the two in 2023 in the Montpellier semifinals.
“It is a good battle,” Fils said of facing Sinner. “He is the World No. 1, he is a big champion. He won Indian Wells, Miami and Monte-Carlo. I am going to try my best and play my best tennis and enjoy myself on the court. It is nice to come on the court as an underdog.”
Fils is also hot with nine straight victories. He won the title at Barcelona earlier this month before four straight wins in Madrid.
Sinner’s last setback came against Czech Jacub Mensik in the quarterfinals at Doha on Feb. 19.
He has won his past three tournaments, claiming the Sunshine Double by winning Indian Wells and Miami and then triumphing at Monte Carlo earlier this month.
Sinner had a 6-4 edge in aces against Jodar and won 72.5% (37 of 51) of his first-serve points.
Jodar had 19 winners against 16 unforced errors.
Fils, 21, won 85.7% (30 of 35) of his first-serve points while dispatching Lehecka in just 74 minutes.
The strong effort allowed Fils to reach a Masters 1000 semifinal match for the second time in his career. The first was in Miami in March, when, coincidentally, he lost to Lehecka.
“I am very happy to be in the semis here, as the last two years, I had never won a match or a set here, so to be in the semis feels very good,” Fils said. “When it is slow and heavier (conditions) I feel good. I know with my fitness, I can hold for three or four hours in these conditions. I feel very good.”
Lehecka had six aces but didn’t receive a single break-point opportunity.
–Field Level Media
