Jódar rises against Tabilo to reach final in Washington

Spanish tennis player Rafael Jódar has advanced to the final of the Washington Open, securing his spot with a comeback victory over Chile's Alejandro Tabilo. Jódar won the match with a score of 6(6)-7, 6-4, 6-4 after two hours and 24 minutes, marking another come-from-behind win in the tournament.

He will now compete for his second professional title, and his first at the ATP 500 level, against American Taylor Fritz on Sunday. This marks Jódar's second final of his debut year, having previously won the Marrakech 250 tournament. Regardless of the final result, Jódar is guaranteed to rise to a career-high ranking of world No. 15.

Fritz, who has reached three previous finals this year but lost them all, will be seeking his first title of the season. The American has a previous win against Jódar in their only prior encounter at the Delray Beach 250 tournament earlier in the year. At that time, Jódar was a newcomer to the professional circuit, ranked 114th in the world.

In their Washington semifinal match, both players displayed strong service games, with neither facing a break point until 5-5 in the first set. Jódar ultimately saved the only break point of the set before Tabilo secured the tie-break. Jódar shifted to a more offensive strategy in the second set, breaking Tabilo's serve for the first time to level the match. He continued his strong play in the third set, breaking Tabilo early and maintaining his advantage to reach the final.