Rafael Jodar reaches maiden tour-level QF at first ATP clay-court event in Marrakech

Another week, another achievement unlocked by Rafael Jodar.

Making his debut inside the Top 100, the 19-year-old has now reached his maiden tour-level quarterfinal. And it’s come at the very first ATP clay-court tournament of his career in Marrakech.

Read: Our Sunshine Double catch-up with Jodar

In his inaugural appearance at the Grand Prix Hassan II, Jodar followed up an opening-round win over Dusan Lajovic by halting No. 4 seed Tomas Machac, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, on Thursday. The former University of Virginia star converted the decisive break in the fourth game of the final set, later saving a pair of break points to hold for 5-2.

He ultimately served out the contest at love to secure his third Top 70 win of the season.

“It was a really tough match. I knew Tomas came playing very well in the last few tournaments. I had to be there from the first point,” Jodar said in an on-court interview afterwards.

Asked about his nation’s storied heritage in the sport, the world No. 89 commented, “Every Spanish player is a warrior. From Nadal to Alcaraz, everyone is a fighter. They want to fight until the last point. It’s in our DNA, so I kept doing that (like) them.”

Jodar, ranked No. 911 this time last year, is coming off a third-round showing at the Miami Open. Since winning his tour-level debut at the Australian Open, the Madrid native is now 7-6 at the highest level of the sport.

A meeting with 2023 finalist Alexandre Muller awaits Jodar Friday. The Frenchman knocked off eighth-seeded Vit Kopriva with a 6-3, 7-6 (3) victory.