Jódar comes from behind against Moutet in a display of survival
Two days after competing in the final in Washington, the Spaniard Rafa Jódar found a way to grit his teeth to overcome his debut in the Masters 1000 in Montreal, where he is participating for the first time.
He fought, sweated, hesitated, suffered, but Rafa Jódar is already in the third round of the Montreal Masters 1000. The Spaniard, who barely had time to recover from the enormous effort he made this week in Washington, where he played the final last Monday, successfully handled a tough debut against Corentin Moutet (4-6, 6-1, 6-3) to achieve his 43rd victory of the season and confirm that he also knows how to win when his legs feel heavier than usual.
It was not an easy debut. On the contrary. Moutet presented an uncomfortable match from the first point, alternating heights, rhythms, and drop shots to prevent Jódar from finding continuity. The Frenchman played high-level tennis for a good part of the first set and managed to steer the match into territory that favored him. The Spaniard, still searching for sensations after the change of city and the limited adaptation to the conditions in Montreal, made more errors than usual and ended up losing the first set 6-4.
The response, however, once again demonstrated one of the great virtues he has developed during this season: the ability to solve problems on the fly. Little by little, Jódar increased the intensity of his shots, found greater depth with his forehand, and began to impose a rhythm that Moutet could no longer sustain. The second set was a turning point. Much more solid from the back of the court and more precise on his returns, the Spaniard linked five consecutive games to equal the match with a resounding 6-1.
A commendable comeback
With the match tied, Moutet once again put up resistance and even managed to dominate some stretches of the third set. The Frenchman continued to look for variations to break Jódar's rhythm, but the Spaniard had already found the way. More and more comfortable physically and with greater confidence in his shots, he tilted the match in his favor until he achieved the decisive break that ultimately made the difference. Far from rushing, Jódar handled the moments of greatest tension with maturity and closed out the match by 6-3, certifying a comeback of immense value both for the level of the opponent and for the context in which he arrived at the tournament.
The victory allows the Spaniard to advance to the third round of the Montreal Masters 1000 for the first time, a tournament he is also competing in for the first time in his career. There, he faces a highly demanding challenge against Lorenzo Musetti, one of the biggest names on the circuit and an excellent opportunity to continue measuring the growth of a season that already boasts 43 victories and continues to offer new reasons for excitement.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Jódar remonta a Moutet en un ejercicio de supervivencia