ATP Tour

Why Jodar's result in Shanghai will have massive implications

In his first full season on the ATP Tour, Rafael Jodar is chasing something that would have seemed unlikely one year ago. The Spaniard is in strong contention to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, which showcases the season’s best eight players.

It was just one year ago when Jodar was playing collegiate tennis for the University of Virginia, yet to turn pro.

Currently 11th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, Jodar will jump to ninth if he advances to the semi-finals of the Rolex Shanghai Masters, where he faces Casper Ruud in the last eight.

With second-placed Jannik Sinner shutting down his season due to injury, ninth in the Live Race is effectively eighth, which is the final qualifying position for the season finale.

If Jodar advances to the Shanghai semi-finals, he would be just 29 points ahead of De Minaur. Should the Spaniard go all the way to the title, he would move to sixth in the Live Race.

The 20-year-old’s breakthrough has been one of the stories of this season. This time last year, Jodar was No. 283 in the PIF ATP Rankings. On New Year’s Eve, Jodar announced he was turning pro.

Since then, he has established himself at the top of the game. He won his first ATP Tour trophy in Marrakech. Jodar then reached the quarter-finals in Madrid, Rome and at Roland Garros. He continued his success on hard courts, reaching the Washington final and making a semi-final run at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Canada.

Daniil Medvedev is also aiming to increase his chances of qualifying for Turin. The 30-year-old is eighth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. Should he defeat 15th seed Tommy Paul in the Shanghai quarters, Medvedev would jump to sixth, leapfrogging Arthur Fils and Frances Tiafoe.

Medvedev would be 40 points ahead of Tiafoe with a quarter-final win and could climb as high as fifth with a title run in Shanghai.

The 24-time tour-level titlist qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for six consecutive years (2018-24), but missed out on the cut in 2025. He is seeking to return to the event, which he won in 2020.