Jodar reaches first hard-court final, sets up Washington showdown with Fritz

Rafael Jodar reached his first hard-court final and first at ATP 500 level on Sunday, beating Alejandro Tabilo of Chile 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the final of the Mubadala DC Open. The 19-year-old Spaniard will face No. 3 seed Taylor Fritz, who beat Brandon Nakashima 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in the other semi-final.

Jodar’s run to just his second tour-level final of the season, after winning the title in Marrakech in April, already guarantees him a debut inside the top 20 of the rankings on Monday – projected at No. 15 should he finish runner-up, or No. 12 if he wins the title. He reached the final by beating No. 4 seed Lorenzo Musetti 1-6, 6-1, 6-4, Kei Nishikori of Japan 6-3, 6-2, No. 8 seed Arthur Fils of France 7-6 (5), 6-3 and finally Tabilo in the semi-finals.

Speaking after the win, Jodar turned to the role his father has played in his rapid rise. “I think I’m doing things very good with my team. Especially with my dad. He’s always here with me. I really appreciate that he’s traveling with me all the weeks and every week. It means a lot to be in the final. I think I have to keep pushing because there’s another tough match tomorrow.”

Asked what his father had meant to his career, Jodar did not hesitate. “Everything,” he said. “I started playing tennis with him in my tennis club when I was little, when I was four years old. It means a lot to me that he’s in the box. He kept pushing me every day when I was younger to play tennis just for fun. That was the main goal when I started playing tennis. I’m very grateful that he did that for me.”

Third ATP 500 final for Fritz

Fritz, meanwhile, reached his third ATP 500 final of the season after Dallas (lost to Shelton) and Halle (lost to Tiafoe) – the most of any man on tour – and his fourth final overall, having now reached the final in three of his last four events. The win over Nakashima was his 27th of the year, and he goes into Monday’s final looking for his first title in more than a year.

The pair have met once before, with Fritz winning in straight sets at Delray Beach earlier this season. But Jodar arrives in Washington a markedly different player than the one who lost that match, having since broken into the top 30, reached the Roland-Garros quarter-finals on his Grand Slam debut and won his maiden ATP Tour title.