Jódar already knows its opponent in the round of 16 in Shanghai

Rafael Jódar already knows his opponent in the round of 16 of the ATP Shanghai, and it will be none other than Botic Van de Zandschulp. The Dutch tennis player surprised Arthur Fils and eliminated him with a score of 7-5 6-4, allowing him to extend his good form in a season finale where he is showcasing his best tennis.

A few hours earlier, Jódar had also defeated Jiri Lehecka, another of the best players at the moment, coming back from a set down and finding his best level again after a few weeks of doubts. In Botic's case, he faced Fils, who is finalizing his chances to break into the top 8 players of the year and play the ATP Finals in Turin, making this loss very painful for his interests. He has few tournaments left to play and is currently ranked number 7 (3,325 points), while other players like Jódar himself (2,609 points) are right on his heels.

Botic secures a return to the top 40 after Shanghai

In Botic's case, he will also receive his reward, as he has ensured leaving Shanghai at least in the 38th position of the ATP ranking. His best ranking is number 22, but he hadn't been in the top 40 for many months, so this is a reason to celebrate after many months of doubts. 

In this tournament, Botic has eliminated players like Dani Mérida or Alex Michelsen, and we must not forget that at the US Open a few weeks ago, he also reached the quarter-finals, where he fell to Alexander Zverev in 3 sets. These results are not coincidental, as Van de Zandschulp excels on this type of surface, so it is expected that he will continue to rise in the rankings before the season ends now that the European indoor hard court tour is approaching.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Jódar ya conoce a su rival en octavos de final de Shanghái