Source : ABC NEWS
Alex de Minaur’s underwhelming clay court season has continued with a crushing defeat by the latest teenage Spanish wonder boy in the second round of the Madrid Open.
On a day when Carlos Alcaraz announced his withdrawal from the upcoming French Open with a wrist injury, 19-year-old Madrid local Rafael Jodar filled his place seamlessly in the capital by blowing away the Australian star 6-3, 6-1 in 75 minutes.
It was Jodar’s first victory over a top-10 opponent and will surely not be the last as de Minaur looked powerless to cope with the youngster’s strength and precision, as his serve was broken six times on the way to the chastening loss just a month before the French Open.
While clay has never been de Minaur’s favourite surface, the 2024 French Open quarterfinalist now has an alarming 4-6 win-loss record in six tournaments since winning the Rotterdam Open in February. He boasted a 13-7 record in the same window last year.
Jodar slammed 15 winners past the world number eight, the last being a glorious inside-out forehand tracer that may have felt like a merciful release for the Aussie, who could only conjure up two winners of his own while making 26 unforced errors.
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World number one Jannik Sinner was watching on from courtside as the teenage wildcard showed just why he’s shot up from 687th to 42nd in the rankings in just the past 12 months.
“It was crazy. Crazy feelings. I’m super happy to get my second win here in Madrid at my home tournament, where I used to come when I was a kid, and I used to watch all these top players in the stands,” Jodar said at the Manolo Santana Stadium at the famed Caja Magica venue.
“Now, being able to play here in the centre court means a lot to me.”
De Minaur’s exit means Adam Walton, who faces 13th seed Karen Khachanov on Saturday, remains the only Australian left in either the men’s or women’s draw.
Next up, Jodar will play fellow 19-year-old tyro Joao Fonseca in a duel of the two youngest players inside the world’s top 100.
With his win over de Minaur, the Spaniard has joined Fonseca as just the second man born in 2006 or later to record a top-10 win.
Jodar will certainly be someone to be avoided in the Roland Garros draw, as he rampages on after capturing his maiden ATP Tour title in Marrakech earlier this month and then making the semifinals of the Barcelona Open.
Earlier, top seed Sinner received an early shock from French qualifier Benjamin Bonzi, losing the first set in a tiebreak before powering to a 6-7 (6/8), 6-1, 6-4 victory.
AAP
