Rafa Jódar beat Kei Nishikori in straight sets at the ATP 500 tournament in Washington, booking a quarterfinal place in just 69 minutes. Jódar took control early, breaking Nishikori’s serve multiple times and dictating play throughout. The Spaniard finished the match with a powerful forehand.
Nishikori, who received a special invitation to play in the tournament and won the Washington title in 2015, struggled against Jódar’s aggressive play. It was their first official meeting. Jódar held serve and made the most of his break opportunities, leaving Nishikori little room to recover.
The win set up a quarterfinal against Lorenzo Musetti, the tournament’s fourth seed. Their meeting on Washington’s hard courts went three sets: Jódar took the opening set 6-1, but Musetti rallied to win 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 and advance. Musetti had reached the quarterfinal with a three-set victory over Aleksandar Vukic.
Jódar’s Washington campaign continued beyond that quarterfinal: the Real Federación Española de Tenis records the event as his first ATP 500 final, where he finished runner-up to Taylor Fritz. The federation’s profile also notes his run to a Challenger final in Canberra and quarterfinal appearances at Masters 1000 events, including Rome. Later in the season, Jódar beat Musetti 6-4, 6-3 in the Canada Masters second round, adding another chapter to their rivalry.
Washington is a basic fixture in the summer hard-court season and an impressive stop before the US Open. Jódar’s run to the final made his win over the former champion more than a single upset: it marked a major key stage in his rise on the ATP Tour. Season coverage put that progress in context, noting that he began 2026 outside the world’s top 140 before winning his first ATP title in Marrakech and reaching the Shanghai Masters final.
