Marrakech
\n Jodar channels Nadal, Alcaraz to reach Marrakech QF: ‘Fighting is in our DNA’<\/p>\n
#NextGenATP star, at a career-high World No. 89, will next face former finalist Muller<\/p>\n
April 02, 2026<\/p>\n
Grand Prix Hassan II<\/p>\n
Rafael Jodar is competing in his first tour-level event on clay this week in Marrakech.
\n By Jerome Coombe<\/p>\n
Rafael Jodar<\/a> marked another milestone in his fledgling career on Thursday at the Grand Prix Hassan II<\/a> in Marrakech, where fourth seed Tomas Machac<\/a> became the latest to fall to the rising Spaniard.<\/p>\n The 19-year-old held firm despite a mid-match surge from Machac, regrouping for a hard-fought 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 victory to reach his maiden ATP Tour quarter-final. Jodar, who is competing in his first ATP Tour event on clay, is just the fourth man born in 2006 or later to reach the last eight at Tour-level.<\/p>\n First of many \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddf8<\/p>\n Rafael Jodar<\/a> battles past Machac 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, to reach his maiden ATP Tour QF! \u2705#GrandPrixHassanII<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/tnI1oZXCeI<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 ATP Tour (@atptour) April 2, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m feeling great\u2026 It was a really tough match, so I had to be there from the first point, and I was,\u201d Jodar said after his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with Machac. \u201cEvery Spanish player is a warrior. From Nadal to Alcaraz, everyone is a fighter. It\u2019s in our DNA, so I kept doing that [because] of them.\u201d<\/p>\n Machac raised his level with an assertive second set, which he served out on his second attempt after earlier forging a 5-2 lead. Jodar, the 6\u20193\u201d powerhouse, then rediscovered his rhythm on serve and unleashed his forehand in the decider to edge ahead and seal his milestone win in two hours.<\/p>\n Having cracked the Top 100 for the first time on Monday following his run to the third round in Miami, Jodar is competing in Marrakech at a career-high No. 89 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Just a year ago, the Madrid native was ranked outside the world\u2019s Top 900, but has since enjoyed a remarkable rise, highlighted by three ATP Challenger titles late last season to seal his place at the 20-and-under Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah in December.<\/p>\n You May Also Like: Inside Jodar\u2019s rapid rise to the Top 100: ‘He had a focus I had never seen before’<\/a><\/p>\n Jodar will next test his clay-court credentials against Alexandre Muller<\/a>, who earlier maintained his strong form in Marrakech by defeating Vit Kopriva<\/a> 6-3, 7-6(3) to reach his third quarter-final at the ATP 250 event. Despite later revealing he had been battling illness, the Frenchman fired 28 winners in an aggressive display to secure back-to-back ATP Tour wins for the first time in 2026.<\/p>\n \u201cI was a little bit sick during the night, so it was tough for me to come on the court today,\u201d said Muller, who advanced to the Marrakech final in 2023. \u201cI just played really chill to preserve my energy and I won, so I\u2019m very surprised, but happy.\u201d<\/p>\n