Jódar defeats Fils, reaches Canadian Masters semifinals, nears Top 10

Rafa Jódar has reached the semifinals of the Canadian Masters 1000, defeating Arthur Fils for the second time in two weeks. The win provisionally moves the Spanish player to world No. 11, bringing him closer to the coveted Top 10 ranking. This marks Jódar's fourth semifinal appearance of the year, having already won in Marrakech and reached finals in Barcelona and Washington.

Jódar's strong performance also positions him sixth in the provisional ATP Finals standings. If he secures a spot in the Turin finals, he would be the first debutant to achieve this feat. This latest victory against Fils, ranked 24th, was a hard-fought match. Jódar initially took a 3-0 lead, but Fils managed to break back and force a tie-break after a rain delay.

In the tie-break, Jódar secured a crucial mini-break and won the set 7-5. The second set saw Jódar break Fils's serve early, though Fils managed to recover. However, Jódar broke again in the seventh game and ultimately sealed his semifinal spot on his fourth match point, despite Fils's visible frustration, which led him to destroy his racket.