ATP Tour

Jodar claws past Musetti to guarantee Top-20 breakthrough, Tabilo stuns Shelton

Rafael Jodar hit yet another milestone in his breakthrough season on Friday.

Jodar rallied past fourth seed Lorenzo Musetti 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 to reach the semi-finals of the Mubadala DC Open and guarantee that he will crack the Top 20 in the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time on Monday.

“It sounds very good,” Jodar said in his on-court interview. “All the hard work I’m putting in the training weeks and the competition is paying off. I am always trying to give my best. I still have to learn a lot of things and I have to keep pushing.”

Last August, the #NextGenATP Spaniard was World No. 540. The teen began his season at No. 168. By beating former World No. 5 Musetti, Jodar climbed to No. 19 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, four spots above his career high.

In Friday's clash, while Musetti landed only 44 per cent of his first serves, Jodar made 65 per cent of his first deliveries and won 77 per cent of those points, according to Infosys ATP Stats. The 19-year-old did not face a break point after the first set and motored to victory in one hour and 59 minutes.

“I didn’t start very well with Lorenzo winning the first set 6-1,” Jodar said. “I had to reset mentally. I think I did a great job, especially in the beginning of the second set. I served very well, and it gave me the opportunity to win the second and third sets. Really happy with how I reset.”

Into his third ATP Tour semi-final of the season, the Spaniard improved to 29-11 in 2026, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. The 19-year-old’s breakthrough season is highlighted by a title at the ATP 250 event in Marrakech, a semi-final run in Barcelona, and quarter-final appearances at Roland Garros, Madrid and Rome.

Musetti was competing in his first tournament since Rome in May. The former World No. 5 suffered a thigh injury during the clay-court season that sidelined him for the past two and a half months. Upon his return to the Tour in Washington, Musetti earned wins against Matteo Arnaldi and Aleksandar Vukic before falling to Jodar.

The next test for Jodar at the ATP 500 event will be a semi-final meeting with Alejandro Tabilo, who defeated the Spaniard earlier this year in Indian Wells in the pair's maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting.

Tabilo staged a thrilling comeback to upset second seed Ben Shelton late Friday night, when he battled past the American 4-6, 7-5, 6-4.

After dropping the first set, Tabilo was in trouble deep in the second set. The Chilean faced three break points at 4-4, 0/40, but saved all three and eventually forced a decider. The 29-year-old won four of the final five games to seal the upset win in two hours and 23 minutes, merely 20 minutes before midnight in Washington, D.C.

“The second set was a mental effort and the third set was physical,” Tabilo said. “The crowd and my team helped me come through… And now we’re here [having won]. It’s unbelievable.”

Watch Tabilo upset Shelton in Washington QFs:

Shelton was aiming to advance to his third straight semi-final at the ATP 500 event but fell short in his maiden clash against Tabilo, who is into his 11th ATP Tour semi-final.