ATP Tour

Jodar overcomes Musetti again, advances to R4 in Montreal

Rafael Jodar got the better of Lorenzo Musetti for the second time in the span of seven days on Thursday at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers in Montreal, where he overcame the Italian 6-4, 6-3 in one hour and 35 minutes to reach the fourth round.

Last week, Jodar outlasted the former World No. 5 in the quarter-finals at the ATP 500 event in Washington. This week, the 19-year-old ensured history repeated itself in Montreal, where he delivered when it mattered the most to beat the Italian once again.

In his second Lexus ATP Head2Head series meeting with Musetti, Jodar earned a decisive break at 4-4 in the first set and eventually clinched the set, having reeled off 11 points in a row. Although he dropped serve twice in the second set, Jodar consistently applied greater pressure on Musetti's deliveries and sealed victory having converted six of the 11 break points he earned, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

"I think I did a great job in the return game," Jodar said. "Generally, I played very solid, trying to attack when I could. Lorenzo is a top player, so I knew I had to play pressure moments well. So I am super happy with my performance today."

With the victory, Jodar became the second teenager to reach the fourth round at the Canadian ATP Masters 1000 event this decade after 19-year-old Learner Tien achieved the feat in 2025. Up next for the Spaniard will be eighth seed Jiri Lehecka, who beat Alexander Blockx 6-3, 6-4. Jodar is seeking his second title of the season this fortnight in Montreal and is currently 11th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, aiming to make his Nitto ATP Finals debut this year.

The Spaniard lost to Taylor Fritz in the championship match in Washington last week, but soared to a career-high No. 15 in the PIF ATP Rankings with his run to the final. With seven of the Top 10 seeds having lost in Montreal, this could be a big chance for Jodar to make a deep run at a Masters 1000 tournament. Earlier this year, the 19-year-old reached the quarter-finals in Madrid and Rome.

Musetti, the 11th seed, defeated Nicolas Mejia to reach the third round in Montreal. The Italian was competing in only his second tournament since Rome in May, when he fell to eventual finalist Casper Ruud in the fourth round. The Italian suffered a thigh injury during the clay-court season that sidelined him for two and a half months before he returned to action in Washington last week.

In other action Thursday, Arthur Rinderknech advanced to the fourth round after Frances Tiafoe retired in the second set due to injury. The Frenchman led 6-2, 2-0, when Tiafoe could not continue. Rinderknech will next face Brandon Nakashima, who rallied past qualifier Titouan Droguet 4-6, 6-2, 7-5.