Rafael Jodar is on the verge of breaking the record for the fastest rise to the top 10 in men’s tennis history after beating Arthur Fils to reach the semi-final of the Canadian Open in Montreal.
The 19-year-old defeated Frenchman Fils 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 and is now 11th in the live ATP rankings.
Should the Spaniard win his semi-final against Brandon Nakashima, he would enter the top 10 – unless Ben Shelton also makes the final, in which case Jodar would require a victory against the American too.
The current record for the shortest time between reaching the top 100 and then making the top 10 belongs to Boris Becker, who managed it in 210 days aged 18 in 1985.
If Jodar achieves the feat in Canada, he will do so in just 140 days.
Even if the Spaniard can’t quite make it over the line in this tournament, good performances at the upcoming Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati or at the US Open would still very likely be enough to break the record.
Jodar’s exceptionally quick rise has far outstripped those of men’s tennis’ 21st century greats.
It took compatriot Carlos Alcaraz 336 days to move from the top 100 to the top 10, while Novak Djokovic managed it in 623.
Both Rafael Nadal and Jannik Sinner did it in 735 days, and Roger Federer in 973.
The record in women’s tennis is 203 days, set by Jennifer Capriati in 1990 when she was only 14.
The win over Fils means Jodar has become the first teenager since Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2018 to reach the last eight in Montreal, and he is the first player born in 2006 or later to make a Masters 1000 semi-final.
He has one tour title to his name, winning the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech, Morocco on clay earlier this year.