Jodar Makes It Two from Two over Musetti, Into Montreal Last 16

Jódar dismantles Musetti in 95 crisp minutes

Rafael Jódar is making the North American summer look effortless. The 19-year-old Spaniard — seeded 11th in Montreal and fresh from claiming the DC Open title last week — defeated Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 6-3 in one hour and 35 minutes on Thursday at the National Bank Open, booking his place in the round of 16. In doing so, he became only the second teenager to reach that stage at the Canadian ATP Masters 1000 this decade, following Learner Tien's feat in 2025.

Jódar converted six of 11 break-point opportunities and at one pivotal moment strung together 11 consecutive points to crack the Musetti serve at 4-4 in the opening set — a burst of intensity that the Italian simply could not match. From there the outcome was never seriously in doubt. The second set arrived in identical fashion: decisive early pressure, a swift break, and a composed close.

"I think I did a great job in the return game," Jódar said after leaving the court. "Generally, I played very solid, trying to attack when I could." The assessment was understated. Against Musetti, who tends to flourish on clay where his sliced backhand and drop shots find natural purchase, Jódar neutralised the Italian's preferred patterns from the first game, pushing him deep and denying him time to dictate.

The same opponent, the same result — one week apart

What makes this victory all the more remarkable is its repetition. Seven days ago, Jódar beat Musetti in the quarterfinals of the DC Open in Washington, en route to winning the title and entering the ATP top 20 for the first time. At 19 years old, collecting a second ATP 500 title and then following it up with a third-round Masters win over the same opponent within a single week marks a level of sustained form that very few players of any age can sustain.

Jódar currently sits 11th in the ATP Live Race to Turin. Should the season end today, he would qualify for the year-end ATP Finals — a statistic that would have seemed fanciful even at the start of the summer swing.

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The round of 16 awaits — and so does a thinned-out draw

The National Bank Open draw has been hit hard by withdrawals and upsets over the past five days. World No. 1 Alexander Zverev was beaten by Tallon Griekspoor in the second round, Daniil Medvedev fell to Botic van de Zandschulp, and the Canadian contingent of Felix Auger-Aliassime, Denis Shapovalov and Gabriel Diallo each departed without making an impact. What remains is an open half-draw and a Friday evening schedule that includes Tien against Tommy Paul, a contest between two Americans who are both legitimate threats.

Jódar's fourth-round opponent is to be decided in Friday evening's remaining third-round ties. What is already clear is that, regardless of the name across the net, the teenager from Murcia will show up prepared. He has beaten a former world top-10 player twice in eight days on hard courts, kept errors to a minimum, and looked as comfortable on the Stade IGA surface as anywhere else this season. His quarterfinal ambitions at the National Bank Open appear entirely credible.