Jódar gathers strength to save his debut in Rome

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Rafa Jódar made a winning debut at the ATP Roma 2026 by defeating Nuno Borges in straight sets (7-6, 6-4), who posed serious challenges in the first round. It wasn't his best performance, but he managed to progressively improve until getting the job done.

Despite only being on the professional circuit for five months, the feeling with Rafa Jódar is that he already navigates the tour like a veteran, but that's not the case. This Friday, the Madrid native faced a triple challenge: a tournament he had never played before, an opponent he had never faced, and an early round when not everyone wants to play. Surely, one of these factors disrupted the tranquility of the Spaniard because, well, it wasn't a good first set. And he even won it! But many things happened before reaching that point.

For instance, falling behind with a break after having had the initial chances to break Borges' serve. A couple of very tough games to push to the tiebreak, confirming that waking up early to play at 11:00 a.m. implies that the body takes a bit longer to warm up. Once the tiebreak was reached, something incredible happened: an angry Rafa Jódar. Two consecutive points surrendered by the Portuguese brought out the fury in the Leganés player, who ended up bursting his own bubble with an out-of-place shout towards his box. Honestly, these moments are welcome; no one can be bottling up their emotions all the time.

That external fire gave Rafa some composure, and he would eventually tame the tiebreak, showing that he also knows how to handle the situation even on a cloudy day. In this case, really cloudy, which made the ball a bit slower. On the other side was Borges, putting up a very formal match, being superior in numerous games but lacking weapons when the Spaniard pressed the accelerator. A scenario we have seen in recent weeks in Marrakech, Barcelona, and Madrid. If Jódar is on point, if he hits the ball as he knows, it's difficult to steal the initiative from him.

A calmer second set

With an hour of play and the first set secured, it was normal for Jódar to release some pressure and start playing a bit more freely. It showed in his serve, his forehand, and also in his attitude, with that bravery he always brings from the return to suffocate the opponent from the first ball he touches. Once that fluency reached his racket, that rhythm that inevitably pushes you forward, the Italian audience saw before their eyes what they had come to witness, a 19-year-old phenomenon participating for the first time in Rome as a seeded player.

Nuno fought as best as he could, clinging to certain games that could have marked the end, but the Portuguese stood tall until his opponent took the necessary responsibilities. With the break obtained in the first game of the second set, it was enough for Jódar to navigate a bit more confidently, protecting that slim advantage until reaching the final stretch, where great champions never tremble. A great victory for Jódar, especially for how he managed to put aside the accumulated fatigue of these weeks to gift himself a new opportunity.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Jódar saca fuerzas para salvar su debut en Roma