Jódar crashes spectacularly in Tokyo

Rafa Jódar faced the bitter taste of defeat again in a tumultuous debut at the ATP Tokyo 2026. This is the madrileño's first time on Asian soil, a rookie in managing one of the most demanding tours, in terms of distance and context, of the entire season... and it showed: the accumulated fatigue, the arduous travel from London for the Laver Cup, and the change of surfaces mitigated the power of his shots. The rest? All from a stunning Daniel Vallejo: the Paraguayan, who came from the qualifying round and, in contrast, was well-acquainted with the conditions in the Japanese capital, completely overwhelmed Rafa with a spectacular performance (6-1, 6-3).

From the beginning, there was a noticeable difference in shot speed and movement. On one side, an exhausted Jódar after three transoceanic trips in three weeks (from Chile to London, trading clay courts for indoor hard courts, only to travel from London to Japan in less than a week, nearly circling the globe); on the other, a Vallejo who had just delivered outstanding performances in the qualifying rounds (including a comeback against Jaime Faria in the last round), perfectly acclimatized to the outdoor Japanese cement.

This is how Dani Vallejo overwhelmed Jódar: the keys to Rafa's early first-round exit

There was no match. The energy of the Paraguayan was contagious, with a perfect point construction: wide serves that began to force Jódar out of the center of the court, precision in the counter-shots, and no fear in challenging a very muted Rafa for point control. The player from Leganés barely managed three points in the first four games, overwhelmed by the speed of the encounter, feeling as if he had lead in his legs.

That heaviness in movement manifested in the serve, softer than ever, but also in his ability to play on the fly and change directions, a hallmark of his tennis: it didn't exist throughout the first set. Rafa salvaged some honor in the closing stages of the set, but it didn't help him change the match: the second set began once again with a break from the Paraguayan, who dismantled the Spaniard's second serves, taking them down like a child with a candy at the school gate.

Simply put, there was no way out for Jódar. The script often resembled what happened against Buyunchaokete at the US Open: a total disconnection from one side of the court and a rival who found the lines with ease. Rafa tried to pull from pride in the middle of the second set, bringing the deficit down to a single break with several outstanding cross-court shots, but again the serve was more of an impediment than a help, inviting the Paraguayan to take control of the point from the very first shot.

This is a match that, perhaps, will become a wise teacher for the future: despite the youth that comes with being just 20 years old, circling the globe in three weeks is too ambitious a goal in such a physical game, where any opponent, whether in the top-50 or not, can outpace you in rhythm if you show up to the court completely drained. Rafa will undoubtedly learn this, as he encounters what may be his second setback in ten months of competition. This doesn't take away any merit from an unforgettable 2026, but it will serve as a valuable lesson... and it could be, beware, a launching pad for a Vallejo who today instilled a lot of fear with his shots and is already targeting Matteo Berrettini or Alejandro Davidovich in the second round.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Jódar se estrella con estrépito en Tokio