Jodar and Sinner set for Madrid quarter-final that has captivated a city
Sinner (No 1) has won 25 consecutive Masters matches and is chasing a record fifth consecutive title. Jodar (wild card) is 19, from Madrid, and has won 12 of his last 13. The city already knows which match it wants to watch. Wednesday at 4pm will tell them if they are ready for the answer.
Rafael Jodar, Madrid 2026 | © Madrid Trophy Promotion
Rafael Jodar dismantled Vit Kopriva 7-5, 6-0 on Tuesday afternoon to reach the quarter-finals of the Mutua Madrid Open, setting up a meeting with world No 1 Jannik Sinner that feels like the match the entire tournament has been building towards.
The 19-year-old Madrileño dropped only five games in his most complete performance of the week, brushing aside the Czech who had eliminated No 9 seed Andrey Rublev in the previous round as if the occasion demanded something more expansive.
It was his fourth consecutive win at this tournament, his 12th in his last 13 matches, and the first time a Spanish teenager has reached the Madrid quarter-finals since Carlos Alcaraz in 2022 and 2023 – and before him, Rafael Nadal.
“I’m super happy with my level today and my level in this tournament,” Jodar said on court. “It’s always special to play at home in front of many people that you know who come to support you. It’s another opportunity. You have to recover well, try to prepare in the best way possible. It’s gonna be another tough match.”
Sinner’s winning streak at 25
Tough is an understatement. On the other side of the net on Wednesday will be a player in the middle of one of the most dominant runs in Masters history. Sinner beat Cameron Norrie 6-2, 7-5 in the morning session to extend his winning streak at Masters 1000 level to 25 matches – making him only the third player to reach that mark, after Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
He has not lost at this level since retiring against Griekspoor in Shanghai 205 days ago. He is bidding to become the first player in history to win five consecutive Masters 1000 titles.
“I feel like I was serving quite well today in the important moments,” Sinner said. “This surface is very different to all the other surfaces, so it’s quite tough to get the right feedback. Sometimes you feel like you are not playing your best, but from the outside it seems that you are. But I’m very happy to be here in the quarters again.”
It’s not gonna be the only time we face each other. That’s my feeling.
Sinner had been watching Jodar all week. He was courtside on Friday to watch the teenager dismantle De Minaur. Asked about the quarter-final on Sunday, he said: “Jodar is a very, very clean hitter with very easy power. You can hear the sound when he touches it, and it’s a good sound coming from the racquet. He’s very, very talented. He’s going to be a great, great player in the future, and he’s already showing it.”
On Tuesday, after the draw had confirmed their meeting, Sinner was equally direct: “It’s not gonna be the only time we face each other. That’s my feeling. It’d be good if I face him before Rome and Roland Garros. I can have good feedback for bigger tournaments coming up.”
Sinner also used his post-match press conference to call for better scheduling at the tournament. “It’s tough when you schedule two matches starting from 8pm,” he said. “When Jodar played in the night it was very, very late, going on court around 11, finishing around 1, 1:15. In my point of view that’s too late.” He added that it was common sense for him to play at 11am and for Jodar to start at 4pm on Wednesday.
The quarter-final is scheduled for 4pm.
