Rafa Jodar stages stunning comeback to reach Cincinnati third round

Rafa Jodar produced a remarkable recovery against Canada’s Denis Shapovalov to reach the third round of the Cincinnati Masters 1000 event.

The 19-year-old Spaniard appeared certain to exit the tournament when he fell 5-1 behind in the deciding set. However, Jodar saved two crucial match points before winning six games in a row to complete a dramatic 7-5, 4-6, 7-5 victory.

The match was punctuated by moments of tension, including two interruptions caused by a problem with Jodar’s shoe. The most controversial stoppage came with the Spaniard trailing 5-3 in the final set.

Jodar halted play for more than a minute and called on his father to help repair the shoe. The incident angered Shapovalov, who was unhappy with the length and timing of the interruption.

Despite also experiencing pain in his left leg and receiving medical treatment during the contest, Jodar maintained his composure and fought his way back into the match. He broke Shapovalov’s serve three times in the deciding set as he overturned what had looked an unassailable deficit.

The Spaniard apologised to Shapovalov after the match for the stoppage. The Canadian, meanwhile, criticised what he viewed as the use of the breaks to take opportunities to drink water while the shoe problem was being addressed.

Jodar said he was delighted to secure his first victory in Cincinnati, while acknowledging the difficulty of the contest and the need to keep competing until the final point.

“It was a very difficult match and I had to keep fighting until the end,” Jodar said.

He added that he was particularly pleased with the way he controlled his emotions during the most demanding stages of the match. The victory, he said, would provide an important boost to his confidence as he continues his campaign.

Jodar will face Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo in the third round.

His progress came after a contest in which momentum repeatedly shifted between the two players. Shapovalov took the second set 6-4 and then moved into a strong position in the decider, but Jodar’s response transformed the match.

The teenager’s recovery was completed after he had been forced to manage both the physical discomfort in his left leg and the disruption surrounding his footwear. Rather than allowing those problems to end his challenge, he recovered his balance, saved the key points and finished the match with six successive games.

The win gives Jodar an opportunity to continue his run at the Masters 1000 tournament against Tabilo, after one of the most dramatic comebacks of the competition so far.