Jodar outlasts injury-hit Fils in Washington to reach last 16

Rafael Jodar defeated No. 8 seed Arthur Fils of France 7-6 (5), 6-3 on Tuesday to reach the last 16 of the Mubadala DC Open. The Spaniard, ranked No. 24, will face Japan’s Kei Nishikori next. The Japanese legend defeated Juncheng Shang (6-7, 6-3, 6-4).

The first set went with serve deep into a tight opening stretch before Jodar edged the tiebreak 7-5. The second set turned on a medical timeout: with Fils down 1-3, he called for the physio for the same back and hip issue that had troubled him in Rome, and which had limited him to a single tournament, Wimbledon, in the weeks since.

Fils had not disclosed the injury at all in London at the time. He struggled to hold serve after the break, and Jodar broke twice more to close out the match 6-3.

The result continues a breakthrough season for Jodar, who won his maiden ATP Tour title in Marrakech earlier this year and has since pushed his ranking to a career-high No. 24. For Fils, the setback comes after a season that had already produced four ATP Tour titles, including in Barcelona, and raises fresh questions over the fitness of a player who has increasingly had to manage his schedule around the recurring issue.