Rafa Jódar rallies past Casper Ruud into Shanghai Masters semifinals

A comeback from a set down

Jódar beat Casper Ruud 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the quarter-final on 16 October, a match that lasted roughly two hours and 20 minutes according to Europa Press. He lost the opening set after missing up to four break chances, three of them in the penultimate game, and Ruud took the only break of that set. The Spaniard levelled the match with a 6-4 second set and then broke twice in the decider, closing it out 6-3. He finished with 22 winners, 14 of them off his forehand.

Figures from SRF show that he won almost half the points on Ruud's serve and created 15 break chances, converting five of them.

Apology for the ball boy incident

During an earlier match against Botic van de Zandschulp, Jódar directed an offensive demand for a towel at a ball boy, and chair umpire Jimmy Pinoargote issued him a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct. La Razón reported that the scene spread quickly on social media and drew heavy criticism from fans. At his press conference after the Ruud win, Jódar addressed it directly and said he had reflected on it after the match.

It was a mistake. After the match I thought it over and realised I should not have treated the ball boy that way.

He said he had been frustrated with how the match was going for him, and that he is still learning how to behave on court as well as how to hit his shots.

I am not perfect, I am human and I make mistakes.

Jódar said he would try to meet the ball boy in person to apologise. He also said he should have accepted the warning because it was correct. El Mundo reported that the local crowd clearly cheered Ruud's points more, despite commentators having predicted whistles for Jódar.

Semifinal line-up and records

Jódar will play Daniil Medvedev, the fifth seed, who beat Tommy Paul 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 in a match of two hours and nine minutes, according to G4Media. The other semifinal pits Alexander Zverev, the first seed, against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who advanced on Thursday, 15 October. Jódar is the 12th seed. Jódar is the youngest semifinalist in the tournament's history, and Europa Press noted that Spain had no semifinalist at Shanghai since Rafael Nadal reached the last four in 2017. El Mundo added that Shanghai is the only Masters 1000 event that has never had a Spanish winner. The event runs from 7 to 18 October on hard courts with total prize money of $9,415,725, and the defending champion is Valentin Vacherot (2025), according to G4Media.

Race to Turin implications

SRF reported that Jódar, ranked 13th, moved up to ninth in the Race to Turin after the early exit of Novak Djokovic. Jannik Sinner has ended his season early, so ninth place is enough to earn a spot at the ATP Finals in Turin on 15 to 22 November. Eight players make the year-end event, and Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz have already qualified. Seven tournaments remain for accumulating points, with the most points on offer at the Paris-Bercy Masters 1000 in early November.