Montreal, Aug 7 (IANS) Rafael Jodar got the better of Lorenzo Musetti for the second time in the span of seven days at the Canadian Open as he overcame the Italian 6-4, 6-3 in one hour and 35 minutes to reach the fourth round.
Last week, Jodar outlasted the former World No. 5 in the quarter-finals at the ATP 500 event in Washington.
Jodar hit 14 forehand winners and committed 10 unforced errors compared to Musetti’s seven forehand winners and 21 unforced errors. Musetti is still looking for his rhythm after his injury layoff.
Musetti led 2-0 in the first set but maybe more relevant was that it took the Italian 11 minutes to hold to start things off. It was a sign of things to come. Jodar’s big baseline hitting gradually took over and he grabbed the momentum. Musetti became frustrated when he couldn’t capitalse on two break points at 4-3, then was broken to love.
Musetti got back into the match early in the second frame before Jodar started the third game by prevailing on a 26-shot rally that ended with a Musetti backhand volley miscue. Frustration grew from Musetti, who attempted to keep Jodar off balance with drop shots. In the eighth game, Jodar cracked one of the biggest forehands of the night to help him hold for 5-3 and Musetti was broken again.
With the victory, Jodar became the second teenager to reach the fourth round at the Canadian ATP Masters 1000 event this decade after 19-year-old Learner Tien achieved the feat in 2025.
The Spaniard will next face eighth seed Jiri Lehecka, who beat Alexander Blockx 6-3, 6-4. Jodar is seeking his second title of the season this fortnight in Montreal and is currently 11th in the ATP Live Race To Turin, aiming to make his ATP Finals debut this year.
--IANS
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