Jódar falls to Mochizuki in Wimbledon

Pedro de Pablos | 3 Jul 2026 | 17.41

Jódar stumbles against Mochizuki at Wimbledon. Source: Getty Images.

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Rafa Jódar has just bid farewell to Wimbledon 2026 in the third round after surprisingly falling to Shintaro Mochizuki in a forgettable match, where he put together a masterful first set and then unexpectedly crumbled to eventually concede defeat with a score of 1-6 7-6(5) 6-4 6-4 after 3 hours of play.

The Spanish tennis player arrived at the tournament with doubts after not playing any matches on the grass court due to an abdominal injury, so he played his first professional match on this surface at the All England Club. However, he stated that he was recovered, and despite not displaying his best level in the previous round against Pablo Carreño, it was expected for him to raise his game as he gained momentum, something that was only evident in the first set of the match. From there onwards, everything fell apart, so now it's time to focus on the fast hard-court swing in North America and reset.

Jódar begins strong against Mochizuki

The match started with Jódar playing at a higher pace than his opponent, resulting in an early break that put the Spanish player 4-1 up right from the start, allowing him to play much more freely and better than in the initial stages of his encounter with Pablo Carreño a couple of days ago. The rhythm of the Spanish player was such that Mochizuki could only win points when he hit a good first serve, leading to another break that handed Rafa the first set on a comfortable 6-2 in just 28 minutes. Impressive.

It was as if Jódar was touched by a magic wand. Everything he tried worked. Forehands, backhand returns, drop shots... It was a display in which Mochizuki was just a mere spectator, leading to another break at the beginning of the second set with another fierce parallel backhand return (the second break in that game). However, perhaps due to that comfort, Jódar got overconfident and lost his serve to bring parity back to the scoreboard.

Mochizuki turns the match around 180 degrees

The young Spanish tennis player took this as a wakeup call, although from that point, a constant battle of breaks ensued where neither seemed to dominate with their serve, something unusual on grass. Gradually, the Japanese player managed to reverse the momentum of the match to the point of reaching 5-3 with his serve to close out the second set, but Jódar played a perfect return game to stay alive. With the score tied at 5-5, Mochizuki made a face after a serve and complained about his left leg, but it didn't escalate, and he displayed his best level in the tiebreak, closing it with a memorable volley.

From that moment on, Jódar faltered, while now it was Mochizuki who controlled the match and the situation. In the third game of the third set, he broke Rafa's serve to love and nearly went up 4-1 with his serve, but Jódar managed to stop the bleeding. The Spanish player was a shadow of the player who had dominated the Japanese in the first set, making too many errors and putting himself in a critical situation for his chances.

However, at Rafa's lowest point, it was Mochizuki who lowered his level, which the Spanish player capitalized on to break back and level the score despite struggling. Jódar's backhand returns were no longer as effective as before, making it very difficult to take the lead on the scoreboard. In fact, at 4-4 and serving, he made 3 inexplicable errors in a row, giving the Japanese player a 15-40 advantage, which he didn't waste to secure another break, close out the set 6-4, and leave Jódar on the ropes.

Jódar falters, Mochizuki advances to the round of 16

At this point, his disconnect was total, and Mochizuki quickly had a 0-40 with Rafa serving at 1-1 to almost secure a spot in the next round. Everything was against Jódar, but like a true Spaniard, he dug deep and fought with heart, breaking back with the score at 2-3 against and encouraging the crowd to support him. What nobody expected was that in the following game, Shintaro broke again, which turned out to be the decisive blow for the match. Mochizuki stood firm and ultimately sealed the 6-4 victory.

This defeat hurts especially considering how it happened, and the gap in level shown by Jódar between the first set and the rest of the match. A drop that has cost him a place in the later stages of another Grand Slam, and will linger for several days. However, it's important to remember that it's his first year on the tour, and he hadn't played a single professional match on grass until Wimbledon. Looking at it in perspective, it remains a great result. Mochizuki, on the other hand, played the match he needed to play, improving as it progressed, and advances to a major's second week for the first time, where he will face the winner of the match between Jannik Sinner and Jenson Brooksby.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Jódar se la pega ante Mochizuki en Wimbledon

ATP