Jódar also flies on clay: crushes Muller in Marrakech and reaches his first semifinals
Spanish reaches the semifinals in Marrakech after displaying a performance against Muller, who retired at the beginning of the second set, keeping alive the dream of his first ATP title more than ever before.
Rafa Jódar continues to inspire us one more day. The Spaniard is gradually shedding the label of promise and is quickly and convincingly transitioning into a reality of Spanish tennis. He showcased his best skills, even on clay, against Alexander Muller who, seeing how the match was unfolding and dealing with physical discomfort, chose to retire when the score displayed 6-2, 2-0. This way, the 19-year-old advances to the semi-finals of the ATP Marrakech as a clear title contender.
Under the scorching sun of Marrakech, Rafa Jódar and Alexandre Muller met in a section of the ATP Marrakech draw that had no seeded players. This presented a golden opportunity for both the Spaniard and the Frenchman.
This is how Rafa Jódar reached his first ATP semi-finals
It is worth noting that this is Rafa Jódar's first ATP clay court tour. The Madrilenian has played most of his young tennis career on the hard courts of the United States. However, in Morocco, he is playing as if he were a lifelong clay-courter. Departing from the Spanish clay model, the Madrilenian, with his inherent aggressiveness from the first shot, is achieving results in his first experience on clay.
And Alexandre Muller felt it, losing his serve in the fourth game of the first set due to the pressure from a strong Jódar's return game always seeking point domination. Moreover, his serve was highly effective, not giving the Frenchman a chance to break back.
The set continued with the sense that Jódar had everything under control. He showed no vulnerability and broke Muller's serve again to seal a convincing first set (6-2), bringing him closer to his first ATP semi-final at just 19 years old.
Facing this dominance, Muller chose to end the match early
Muller's expression during the first set break said it all. The Frenchman did not know how to tackle a Jódar who not only glided on the clay of Morocco but also soared with his serve and punished the return. The sensations from the first set continued into the second, and the 19-year-old swiftly broke again to reach 3-0.
His first ATP semi-finals loomed on the horizon but were confirmed a bit earlier than expected after Alexandre Muller, physically strained, retired when the clock barely hit 38 minutes and the score showed 6-2, 2-0.
Nevertheless, this abrupt ending did not overshadow in any way the great performance of Rafa Jódar, who, at just 19 years old and on his first clay court tour, reaches the semi-finals of the ATP Marrakech. Now he awaits the winner of the match between Ugo Carabelli and Luca van Assche, but whoever emerges victorious must be prepared for what awaits with Jódar, which will not be flattering.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Jódar también vuela en tierra: destroza a Muller en Marrakech y se mete en sus primeras semifinales