Rafael Jodar advanced to the biggest final of his career thus far after defeating Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals of the Shanghai Masters on Saturday.
Jodar defeated fifth seed Medvedev in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, to reach a maiden ATP Masters 1000 final. The Spaniard will fight for the title against fellow countryman Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who took out top seed Alexander Zverev to book his spot in the championship match.
The 20-year-old is also now one win away from breaking Boris Becker’s all-time record for the quickest time between cracking the top 100 and entering the top 10.
Rafael Jodar sets new ATP record after reaching final in Shanghai
With his triumph over Medvedev, Jodar is now the first player born in 2006 or later to reach an ATP Masters 1000 final. According to Opta Ace, only three players have played fewer main draw matches than Rafael Jodar (26) to claim 20 wins at ATP Masters 1000 events since the format’s introduction in 1990. Those three players are Boris Becker (25), Thomas Muster (25) and Stefan Edberg (22).
Jodar has enjoyed a number of strong campaigns in the ATP Masters 1000 series since he burst onto the scene during the clay swing. After losing in the first round in Indian Wells and the third round in Miami, Jodar recorded back-to-back quarterfinal finishes in Madrid and Rome.
He then reached the semifinals of a Masters event for the first time at the Canadian Open, ultimately falling to an in-form Brandon Nakashima. Jodar’s North American hard-court swing concluded with a fourth-round exit in Cincinnati and a second-round loss at the US Open.
Jodar extended the gap between him and Alex de Minaur in the race to Turin, as he bids to qualify for the ATP Finals in his debut season. Jodar occupies the eighth spot in the race with 3,159 live points after reaching the Shanghai Masters final.
De Minaur, ninth in the race with 2,880, is battling with Novak Djokovic for the last spot in the year-end tournament, with the Serb trailing on 2,840 points. Eight players qualify for the ATP Finals, but Jannik Sinner’s knee injury, which forced him to end his season, has opened up a new spot to contend for.
Rafael Jodar looks ahead to the Shanghai Masters final
In his post-match press conference after beating Medvedev, Jodar said: “I’m happy how the season and how the tournament is going for me, and that’s it. I think I’m having the right mentality, and I am playing good here in Shanghai.
“I think all the matches that I played in the past rounds have helped me to have the shape, you know, that I have right now, and that’s very important. There’s still one more match, I’ll try to have the same mentality as I had these past matches.”
Jodar has never played his final opponent, Davidovich Fokina, at a tour-level event, but knows not to underestimate the world number 26. “We practiced a couple of times,” said Jodar of his compatriot. “I think it’s different when you practice and when you play a match. So, yeah, it will be another tough match. He’s been playing great tennis, so I’ll have to give my best if I want to have my chances in that match.”
The clash between Jodar and Davidovich Fokina will be the first all-Spanish ATP Masters 1000 final since Rafael Nadal took on Albert Ramos Vinolas in the title bout of the 2017 Monte-Carlo Masters.