MONTREAL — On Saturday, Spanish sensation Rafael Jodar swiftly overpowered Czechia’s Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round of the men’s singles at the National Bank Open in Montreal.
The 19-year-old Jodar stirred up the crowd by defeating the No. 8 seed with a commanding score of 6-3, 6-3, showcasing precision serving and capitalizing on Lehecka’s 34 unforced errors during the one-hour, 14-minute showdown at IGA Stadium.
Despite the match’s one-sided nature, the young star maintained his poise and serenity as he reflected on his performance.
“This was a challenging match,” stated Jodar. “Jiri is having an impressive season, particularly on hard courts. His performance in Miami was a testament to that. He’s a formidable, aggressive player, so staying focused on every point is essential.”
The Spaniard excelled by winning all 13 of his first serves in the opening set, never encountering a break point. He capitalized on his sole breakpoint opportunity in the eighth game to clinch the first set.
Jodar then broke Lehecka immediately at the start of the second set and maintained his momentum with two more late breaks to secure a definitive win.
His remarkable performance has captured the attention of tennis aficionados worldwide, with spectators at his matches this week in Montreal regularly chanting “Let’s go Rafa!”
“It’s an incredible feeling to have everyone supporting and cheering for you,” he expressed. “It’s such a special experience, especially in a country that isn’t your own.”
Having started the year ranked 168th, Jodar now advances to his third consecutive Masters 1000 quarterfinal, marking his first on hard courts.
Though his rapid ascent up the rankings is impressive, Jodar remains focused on his personal growth.
“The rankings come second,” he clarified. “I prioritize my development and working on areas for improvement—that’s the takeaway from these tournaments.”
Next up for the teen is a matchup against France’s Arthur Fils in the quarterfinals. The No. 18 seed recently triumphed over Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie with a score of 6-2, 7-6 (8) in the evening’s final clash.
Earlier in the day, Luciano Darderi from Italy secured his spot in the quarterfinals with a hard-fought three-set victory against Portugal’s Nuno Borges.
Darderi, seeded 19th, rallied to win 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, despite Borges posting 23 more winners and delivering 17 total aces to Darderi’s four.
“I’m feeling fantastic,” Darderi commented. “I’m playing progressively better each match. Today was quite a battle.”
With his 30th victory this season, Darderi becomes the first male player to reach 10 ATP Tour quarterfinals in 2023.
He will face Brandon Nakashima in Monday’s quarterfinal after the American edged past France’s Arthur Rinderknech 7-6 (4), 5-7, 7-5. A thunderstorm interrupted the match when it was tied 4-4 in the third set.
“It’s always tough to pause in the middle of a match,” Nakashima noted. “However, I think it gave me a moment to reset, especially at the start of the third set when I was feeling a bit frustrated.”
This marks Nakashima’s first quarterfinal appearance at a Masters 1000 event after 36 attempts.
“It’s incredibly meaningful,” Nakashima said. “This is a special moment for me. Having played many Masters tournaments before, I feel like I’m gradually improving and making deeper runs in these events.”
Lehecka’s defeat means that only one top 10 seed remains in the Masters 1000 singles draw. No. 5 seed Ben Shelton from the United States is set to face Brazil’s Joao Fonseca in his fourth-round match on Sunday night.
While the men’s singles field in Montreal no longer includes any Canadians, the all-Canadian doubles team of Duncan Chan and Alexis Galarneau is still in the running.
The Canadian wild cards, teaming up for the first time, triumphed over the eighth-seeded duo of Pierre-Hughes Herbert and Kevin Krawietz.
