Rafa Jódar, 19, roars back from two sets down to reach first Grand Slam quarter-final at Roland Garros as Carreño's shoulder gives way
Spanish teenager Rafa Jódar rallied from two sets down to defeat compatriot Pablo Carreño 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2, reaching his first Grand Slam quarter-final after Carreño suffered a shoulder injury mid-match.
A generational clash on the Suzanne Lenglen
Rafa Jódar, a 19-year-old from Madrid, faced 34-year-old former world number 10 Pablo Carreño in a Spanish fourth-round duel at Roland Garros. Jódar entered the match having played only his second Grand Slam tournament, while Carreño was competing in his first major fourth round since 2020 after a long injury ordeal. The match lasted approximately three hours and 42 minutes and swung dramatically across five sets.
Carreño's early mastery
Carreño started slowly, falling behind 4-1 in the opening set as Jódar's aggression and power dictated play. But the Asturian stayed patient, extended rallies, and turned the set around. He broke serve three times to take it 6-4, then repeated the scoreline in the second set, winning nine consecutive games at one stage. Jódar grew visibly frustrated, discarding his cap when trailing 3-0 in the second set.
I'm enjoying it a lot, I hope the shoulder holds up and my body lets me play.
The turning point: Carreño's shoulder fails
Midway through the third set, Carreño felt a pull in his right shoulder — described as a click or snap. He received treatment from the physiotherapist and took medication, but the pain did not subside. From that moment, he could no longer sustain long rallies. Jódar seized the opening, breaking twice to win the third set 6-1 and twice more for 6-2 in the fourth.
- Jódar races to 4-1 lead in first set
- Carreño wins nine straight games, takes first two sets 6-4, 6-4
- Carreño feels shoulder pull mid-third set; receives treatment
- Jódar wins third set 6-1, then fourth 6-2
- Jódar closes fifth set 6-2, wins match after 3h42m
Jódar closes the door
In the decisive fifth set, Jódar maintained his momentum, securing two additional breaks to close it out 6-2. His serving improved markedly after a shaky start: he finished with 67% first serves and won 68% of points on his first delivery, saving 10 of 18 break points faced. The victory makes him the fourth Spanish man to reach a Roland Garros quarter-final before turning 20, after Albert Costa, Rafael Nadal, and Carlos Alcaraz.
Carreño's painful journey
Carreño's career has been derailed by a cascade of injuries — elbow, humerus, and now the shoulder. He fell as low as 1,049th in the world rankings and spent much of the past year on the Challenger circuit. Just before Roland Garros, he retired from a Challenger event in Valencia due to shoulder pain. Despite the loss, he left the court to an ovation, having reminded the tennis world of his quality.
Watching a video of my son holding a racket while he watches me play... that has made all of this worth it.
What comes next
Jódar will face the winner of Alexander Zverev versus Jesper De Jong in the quarter-finals on Tuesday on Court Philippe-Chatrier. With Carlos Alcaraz absent and top seeds Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic already eliminated, the draw has opened up. Spanish media are already calling Jódar a candidate to win the tournament, though Zverev remains the favourite.
