Spanish teen Jodar ousts 8th seed Lehecka at Montreal
Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar defeated Jiri Lehecka, the eighth seed, in straight sets to advance to the quarter-finals of the ATP Montreal Masters.
- Jodar, the runner-up in Washington last week, secured his 33rd win of the season and is on track for a top-10 ranking with a potential Montreal title.
- Other quarter-finalists include Arthur Fils, Luciano Darderi, and Brandon Nakashima, with several matches affected by rain delays.
Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar continued his impressive run at the ATP Montreal Masters, defeating eighth seed Jiri Lehecka 6-3, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals. The 19-year-old Spaniard, who was the runner-up in Washington last week, dominated the night match after an afternoon rain delay. This victory marks Jodar's 33rd win of the season, and a potential title in Montreal could propel him into the top 10 rankings for the first time.
It was a very nice battle. The second set was back and forth. He really raised his level. I got a bit tight but I'm happy to get out in two sets. I'm confident with how I'm playing right now.
Jodar is set to face French 18th seed Arthur Fils in the quarter-finals. Fils advanced by defeating Britain's Cameron Norrie 6-2, 7-6 (10/8). Notably, Fils also lost to Jodar in Washington last week and will be competing in his fourth Masters quarter-final of the year.
"It was a very nice battle," Fils commented on his match. "The second set was back and forth. He really raised his level. I got a bit tight but I'm happy to get out in two sets. I'm confident with how I'm playing right now."
Coming out after the break I knew I had to fire at the beginning. My level is growing with each match and I'm trying to make the most of it.
In other matches, Italian Luciano Darderi advanced after a tough three-set victory over Nuno Borges, fueled by an espresso shot during a mid-match break. Brandon Nakashima also secured a spot in the quarter-finals after a lengthy match against Arthur Rinderknech, which was interrupted for nearly two hours due to rain. Nakashima expressed confidence in his growing form, stating, "My level is growing with each match and I'm trying to make the most of it."
This is my first Masters quarter-final on hardcourt so I'm very pleased. I like the conditions here and the crowd helped me in the third set. I deserved this win. I've improved my hardcourt game a lot. I try to play every match at
Originally published by Asharq Al-Awsat in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.