19-year-old Spaniard Jodar reaches French Open quarterfinals in stunning debut

Spanish rising star Rafael Jodar continued his dream French Open debut today, staging a powerful comeback from two sets down to defeat compatriot Pablo Carreno Busta and reach his first-ever Grand Slam quarterfinal. According to AFP, 19-year-old dark horse Jodar, competing in only his second Grand Slam, defeated Carreno Busta 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 on Court Suzanne Lenglen. At this time last year, Jodar was ranked 707th in the world and was exiting early in Challenger-level tournaments during the French Open. Twelve months later, Jodar will face second seed and tournament favorite Alexander Zverev of Germany for a spot in the semifinals. With Carlos Alcaraz out due to injury, and Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic eliminated early, Zverev is seen as the favorite to win. After the match, Jodar said, "The atmosphere is different, but I am still me. I am very grateful to everyone who came to cheer for me today... It's really great to be able to play here." Having reached the quarterfinals in Madrid and Rome, Jodar's clay-court record this season stands at a tour-best 19 wins, surpassing world number one Sinner. The streak of the last nine Grand Slam titles being shared by Alcaraz and Sinner will end in a week. A defeated Carreno Busta believes Jodar has the potential to reach the top. "He will soon be competing with Sinner and Alcaraz. Of course, he has the ability. He is only in his first year and is very young, with a lot of room for improvement," Carreno Busta said. After losing the first two sets, Jodar took a long break before the third set and returned transformed, taking the set in just 30 minutes. Carreno Busta, a former top-10 player currently ranked 89th, called for a medical timeout before the fourth set, but it didn't work. Jodar hit 10 winners in the fourth set and broke serve twice to force a decider. Jodar secured the victory in the fifth set, finishing the match with a powerful forehand on his fifth match point after 3 hours and 41 minutes of play.