19-year-old Rafael Jodar off to a strong start in Rome, advances to third stage. Rafael Jodar made his debut as a seeded player at an ATP tournament and reached the second round of the Masters 1000 in Rome. The young Spaniard defeated Nuno Borges, extending his successful run on clay. Next up is a meeting with Matteo Arnaldi.
Rafael Khodar, only 19 years old, confidently advanced to the second round of the Masters 1000 in Rome, making his debut as a seeded player at an ATP tournament. The Spaniard from Madrid defeated the experienced Portuguese player Nuno Borges, ranked 54th in the world, with a score of 7-6 (4), 6-4. The match lasted almost two hours and became a serious test for the young athlete, who managed to handle the pressure and maintain focus at crucial moments.
At the start of the match, Khodar faced difficulties: the opening set was controlled by Borges, who quickly made a break. However, the Spaniard did not allow his opponent to capitalize, gradually leveled the game, and prevailed in a tense tiebreak. In the second set, Khodar quickly seized the initiative, converted an early break, and managed to hold on to his advantage despite Borges’s attempts to get back into the match. The final stats—30 winners, 11 of them aces, and 34 unforced errors—reflect a high level of aggression but also highlight the need to improve stability in future matches.
Next opponent and tournament dynamics
In the third round, Rafael Khodar will face the Italian Matteo Arnaldi. After defeating Jaume Munar, Arnaldi managed a comeback against the sixth seed Alex de Minaur, winning in three sets. This will be the first professional meeting between Khodar and Arnaldi. The Spaniard became the fourth player under 20 in recent years to reach the third round of the Rome Masters—previously, this was achieved by Lorenzo Musetti, Jannik Sinner, and Jakub Mensik.
Clay court season and physical conditioning
The current clay court season has been extremely successful for Khodar: 13 wins and only two losses, a title in Marrakech, a semifinal in Barcelona, and a quarterfinal in Madrid. The player himself notes that the tight schedule demands special attention to recovery between matches to maintain a high level throughout the tournament. According to him, the key factor behind his success in Rome has been the ability to remain calm in tough rallies and to manage his energy wisely.
Match context and details
The start of the match was tense for the Spaniard: Borges, known as a clay-court specialist, took advantage of his opponent’s mistakes and took the lead. However, Khodar managed to turn the game around, gradually found his rhythm, and began winning impressive rallies, reminding fans of Carlos Alcaraz’s style. In the crucial moments of the first set, Khodar emotionally turned to his father and coach for support, which helped him pull himself together and win the set. In the second set, the Spaniard quickly broke serve and confidently closed out the match, saving several break points from his opponent.
Earlier, the confrontation between Khodar and Borges in Rome was reported in the article about the Spaniard’s start in the second round of the tournament.
