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Teen Sensation Jodar Stuns Arnaldi to Reach Rome Fourth Round

Teenage star Rafael Jodar held off Italian wild card Matteo Arnaldi to reach the fourth round of the Italian Open. Jodar regrouped from 1-3 down in the deciding set to seal victory. He will next face reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion Learner Tien. Elsewhere, Casper Ruud comfortably defeated Jiri Lehecka, and Dario Prizmic continued his dream run by stunning Ugo Humbert.

Key Points: Jodar Beats Arnaldi, Reaches Rome Fourth Round

  • Jodar defeats Arnaldi 6-1, 4-6, 6-3
  • Jodar improves to 14-2 on clay in 2026
  • Jodar to face Next Gen champion Learner Tien next
  • Tien rallies past Bublik 4-6, 6-3, 7-5
2 min read

Jodar beats Italian wild card Arnaldi to reach fourth round in Rome

Teen star Rafael Jodar defeats Italian wild card Matteo Arnaldi 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 to reach the fourth round of the Italian Open on debut.

"I'm very happy. It's never easy to play an Italian here in Rome. - Rafael Jodar"

Rome, May 11

Teenage star Rafael Jodar held off Italian wild card Matteo Arnaldi 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 to reach the fourth round of the Italian Open, an ATP Masters 1000 event, on debut.

After Arnaldi fought back to level the match, Jodar regrouped impressively from 1-3 down in the deciding set, reeling off five straight games to seal the victory in style.

With his two-hour victory, Jodar improved to 14-2 on clay in 2026, according to the ATP Win/Loss Index, highlighted by his maiden ATP Tour title in Marrakech, followed by a semi-final run in Barcelona and a quarter-final showing in Madrid.

"I'm very happy. It's never easy to play an Italian here in Rome," Jodar was quoted by ATP Tour. "I tried to play my tennis. Matteo played very well in the second and third sets, so I just tried to be there every point and accept whatever happened during the match."

Competing as a seeded player on the ATP Tour for the first time this week, Jodar will next face reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion Learner Tien.

Earlier in the day, Tien rallied past Alexander Bublik 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 to earn back-to-back ATP Tour wins for the first time since his run to the Indian Wells quarter-finals in March. The 20-year-old, now up to No. 19, is the youngest American man to reach the fourth round in Rome since Andy Roddick in 2002.

Elsewhere, Tmthe former world No. 2 Casper Ruud comfortably defeated Czech 11th seed Jiri Lehecka 6-3, 6-4 in exactly 80 minutes.

Now outside the Top 20, Ruud has a valuable opportunity to regain ranking points and momentum ahead of Roland Garros , where he hopes to replicate the success of 2022 and 2023, when he reached the final.

Meanwhile, the young Croatian qualifier Dario Prizmic, who stunned Novak Djokovic in the opening round, continued his dream run by defeating No. 31 seed Ugo Humbert of France 6-1, 7-5.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

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Priya S
Beating an Italian wild card in Rome is no joke - the crowd must have been tough. But this kid handled it like a seasoned pro. 14-2 on clay in 2026... wow. Reminds me of how Nadal started dominating. And Tien vs Jodar next? That's going to be insane! 😍
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Arun Y
Honest question - why are we not producing tennis stars like this in India? We have the population, we have the passion. Jodar is 18, Tien is 20, Prizmic is also young. Meanwhile our best players are struggling to break top 100. We need proper tennis infrastructure and exposure on clay. 😔
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Michael C
As someone who follows tennis closely, Jodar's rise is impressive but I think we're jumping the gun a bit. He's won one ATP title and had a good run on clay this spring. Let's see how he handles the pressure of being a seed and the expectations. Tien is a serious test - the Next Gen champ is no joke.
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Aman W
Ruud is back in business! After a tough season, beating Lehecka 6-3, 6-4 shows the Norwegian is finding his form. Two-time Roland Garros finalist... if he gets his confidence back, he could cause upsets in Paris. Also, Prizmic beating Djokovic and now Humbert? What a comeback story! 🔥
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Suresh O
I love how tennis is changing - new faces everywhere! Jodar, Tien, Prizmic... the old guard better watch out.

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