ATP Tour

Five must-know facts about Jodar's run to Shanghai final

Rafael Jodar is one win away from a major breakthrough at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, where he is set to face fellow Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in his first ATP Masters 1000 final.

The 20-year-old booked his place in the championship match with a statement semi-final victory against former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev.

Here are five must-know facts about Jodar’s run to the Shanghai final:

Jodar is the youngest finalist in tournament history
Jodar made history in Shanghai on Saturday, when he defeated Daniil Medvedev to advance to the championship match at the Masters 1000 event. With the victory, the 20-year-old Spaniard became the youngest player to compete in a final in Shanghai.

He is firmly in contention to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals
Jodar has strengthened his chances of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals with his run to the Shanghai final. The Spaniard currently sits ninth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, effectively occupying the final qualification spot because Jannik Sinner has ended his 2026 due to a knee injury. Jodar is 279 points ahead of 10th-placed Alex de Minaur, and with a title victory Sunday, Jodar would climb to the sixth spot in the standings.

The Spaniard is one win away from cracking the Top 10 of the PIF ATP Rankings
Jodar is one win away from a major rankings milestone. Currently at No. 13 in the PIF ATP Rankings, the Spaniard would break into the Top 10 for the first time if he wins the title in Shanghai on Sunday. The 20-year-old began the season at World No. 165, climbed into the Top 25 in June and reached a career-high No. 11 in August. Now, he is one win away from a new career-high ranking.

Jodar is youngest player since Nadal to earn 20 Masters 1000 wins in a season
With his semi-final victory against Medvedev, Jodar recorded his 20th win at the ATP Masters 1000 level this season, according to the ATP Win/Loss Index. The 20-year-old Spaniard is now the youngest player since Rafael Nadal to reach the milestone, with Nadal having recorded 28 Masters 1000 wins in 2005 as a 19-year-old. This season, Jodar has reached the quarter-finals in Madrid and Rome, the semi-finals in Montreal and the final in Shanghai.

Jodar's meteoric rise through his first ATP Tour season
A year ago, Jodar was ranked No. 283 in the PIF ATP Rankings and was playing college tennis for the University of Virginia. After competing at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF in December, he announced that he would turn professional in 2026. Since then, the Spaniard has enjoyed a breakthrough season on the ATP Tour, capturing his maiden tour-level title at the ATP 250 event in Marrakech and reaching the final at the ATP 500 event in Washington in August, before advancing to the championship match in Shanghai.