Rafa Jódar rallies from two sets down to beat Pablo Carreño and reach the Roland Garros quarterfinals at just 19

Rafa Jódar reached the quarterfinals in his first Roland Garros appearance after defeating fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreño Busta 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 in three hours and 41 minutes. The 19-year-old from Leganés became only the fourth Spanish player in the Open Era to reach the last eight at a Grand Slam before turning 20, joining Albert Costa, Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal. The comparison with Nadal was reinforced by the fact that Nadal also reached the quarterfinals on his debut in Paris before going on to win the title.

Jódar’s victory was notable for both its resilience and its timing. He survived a tense finish after wasting four match points, including three consecutive chances at 40-0 on his own serve, before finally sealing the win when Carreño’s forehand found the net. It was the first time in Jódar’s professional career that he had come from two sets down. The result lifted his clay-court wins this season to 19, putting him ahead of Jannik Sinner in that category.

The match began strongly for Jódar, who saved an early break point with a 210 km/h serve and raced to a 3-0 lead. Carreño, however, brought all his experience to bear and gradually turned the set around. The veteran, 15 years older and still fighting for what could be one of his last deep runs in Paris, recovered from 4-1 down to take the first set 6-4, winning five games in a row. He then started the second set with complete control, building a 4-0 lead as Jódar’s errors on the backhand side mounted.

At 4-2 in the second set, Jódar left the court briefly to reset, and the move worked. He returned with renewed focus, and from that point the momentum shifted sharply. His serve-and-forehand combination began to click again, while Carreño’s level started to drop. Jódar swept through the third set 6-1 and the fourth 6-2, drawing energy from the Suzanne Lenglen crowd as he moved toward the biggest win of his career.

Carreño also had physical issues late in the match, with his right shoulder bothering him again after previous discomfort forced him to retire in Valencia on May 15. As rain threatened to interrupt play and the retractable roof remained closed, Jódar pressed to continue without delay. The match was paused for six minutes, but he stayed on court, eager to resume.

Jódar now advances to face world No. 3 Alexander Zverev, who defeated Jesper de Jong in straight sets. The breakthrough also improved Jódar’s ranking position, with the teenager moving from 29th to a virtual 22nd in the race, just behind fellow Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.