Rafael Jódar rallies from two sets

Rafael Jódar came back from two sets down on Sunday, May 31, to beat fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreño Busta 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 and move into the French Open quarter-finals at Roland Garros. The 19-year-old won the fourth-round match on Court Suzanne-Lenglen in 3 hours 41 minutes, extending his debut run in the main draw. Roland Garros called it his second five-set thriller in a row, while the ATP said the result sent him into his first Grand Slam quarter-final. (rolandgarros.com) ### How did Jódar turn the match after losing the first two sets? (rolandgarros.com) Jódar lost the opening two sets 6-4, 6-4 before taking control of the match with a 6-1 third set. The official Roland Garros report said he erased Carreño Busta’s lead and closed the final three sets 6-1, 6-2, 6-2. The ATP said the comeback preserved Jódar’s perfect 3-0 record in fifth sets. Roland Garros described the victory as another comeback in a debut campaign that has already included back-to-back five-set wins. (rolandgarros.com) ### Why was this result notable beyond just one match? Roland Garros said Jódar is 19 and reached the last eight on his main-draw debut. The tournament report described him as the fifth man this century to make the quarter-finals on his debut in the main draw. (rolandgarros.com) The ATP framed the run as another step in a rapid rise for the Spaniard. On Jódar’s player page, the ATP lists him in the quarter-finals of Roland Garros and identifies him as one of the tour’s younger emerging players. (atptour.com) ### What had Carreño Busta said about Jódar before they played? Pablo Carreño Busta said before the match that Jódar “doesn’t crumble under pressure,” according to an ATP feature published on May 31. The ATP said the two first met after Jódar’s U.S. Open boys’ singles title, when he joined Spain’s Davis Cup team as a sparring partner in Valencia. (rolandgarros.com) Carreño Busta returned to the Roland Garros fourth round for the first time since 2021, the ATP said before the match. Their meeting in Paris was their first tour-level head-to-head, with a quarter-final place at stake. (atptour.com) ### Where did the match sit in the tournament draw? The official Roland Garros match page lists Jódar as the No. 27 seed and shows the completed fourth-round result on May 31. The tournament’s Day 8 coverage and match report both place the win in the men’s fourth round at Roland Garros. (atptour.com) Roland Garros also published match highlights from the fourth-round contest on Sunday. The video page identifies the win as part of Jódar’s debut tournament in Paris. (atptour.com) ### Who is next for Jódar in Paris? Alexander Zverev is Jódar’s next opponent in the quarter-finals, according to the official Roland Garros quarter-final match listing. Zverev reached that stage after beating Jesper de Jong in straight sets, 7-6(3), 6-4, 6-1, the tournament said. (rolandgarros.com) The Roland Garros draw page lists the Jódar-Zverev quarter-final in the men’s singles bracket. The next step in Jódar’s run, according to the tournament site, is that quarter-final meeting with the No. 2 seed. (rolandgarros.com 1) (rolandgarros.com 2)