Today in Madrid, the first semifinalist of the Mutua Madrid Open 2026 will be determined: world number one Jannik Sinner will face this season’s breakthrough star Rafael Khodar on the Caja Mágica court. The Italian enters the match as the clear favorite—he has already won three Masters 1000 titles this year and has lost to only two rivals all season. However, Madrid is one of the few tournaments where Sinner has yet to reach the decisive stages, with his best result being a quarterfinal two years ago.
The Spanish Sensation
Rafael Khodar, a native of Leganés and a product of the Chamartín club, has made a meteoric rise in world tennis over the past year. After his victory in Marrakech, he confidently advanced through the Madrid tournament draw, knocking out top-10 player Alex de Minaur, the promising Joao Fonseca, and leaving Vit Kopriva no chance in the last set. Khodar manages to maintain a high tempo and impressive shot depth, and he has adapted to Madrid’s altitude without difficulty.
The Favorite and the Challenge
Despite Khodar’s remarkable run, most experts still regard Sinner as the main contender for the semifinals. The Italian has already proven his strength on clay, performing successfully in Monte Carlo, and regards Roland Garros as a key goal for his season. In Madrid, he’s aiming to fulfill his potential—especially since Carlos Alcaraz is absent from this year’s draw. Nevertheless, Khodar brings traditional Spanish passion back to the Caja Mágica stands and keeps the intrigue alive: if Mensik managed to beat Sinner in Doha and Bonzi took a set from him in Madrid, Khodar also has a chance to put up a fight.
Context and Expectations
The match holds particular interest for Spanish fans: Khodar is the only national representative remaining at this stage of the tournament. His progress has already been highlighted in RUSSPAIN materials — it was previously reported that after defeating Kopriva, he became the only Spaniard in the Masters 1000 quarterfinals in Madrid. Now he faces the task of stopping the world number one and matching the achievements of legendary compatriots at the home tournament.
