Rafael Jodar becomes the youngest Rome Masters quarterfinalist since Djokovic

Rafael Jodar continued his rapid rise on the ATP Tour after the Spaniard defeated Learner Tien in 6 - 1, 6 - 4 in the Rafael Jodar vs Learner Tien clash to become the youngest quarterfinalist at the Rome Masters since Novak Djokovic in 2007.

The 19-year-old controlled large parts of the contest on Tuesday, using aggressive baseline play and sharp angles to keep Tien under pressure throughout the match at the Internationali BNL d'Italia. The result extended Jodar's strong clay-court campaign during the 2026 season and further strengthened his position among the ATP Tour's emerging talents.

Rafael Jodar vs Learner Tien creates history at the Rome Masters

The victory added another milestone to Jodar's impressive European clay swing. The Spaniard has already won the Marrakech title this season, reached the semifinals in Barcelona, and made the quarterfinals at the Madrid Masters before advancing to the last eight in the Rome Masters 2026.

Jodar is now the first teenager since Novak Djokovic in 2007 to reach the quarterfinals at multiple Masters 1000 events in the same season. He also improved his clay-court record to 15 tour-level wins in 2026, tying with Tomas Martin Etcheverry for the most on the surface this year.

"I am super happy," Jodar said after the match. "I just try to play the matches and stay focused on what I have to do."

Rome Masters 2026 run boosts ATP rankings for Jodar

The latest result is expected to improve Rafa's standing in the ATP Rankings greatly. The Spaniard climbed to No.29 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings following the win, moving ahead of Brazil's Joao Fonseca to become the highest-ranked teenager on the ATP Tour.

The athlete's performance has also drawn attention to questions such as 'What is Rafael Jodar's ranking' as the teenager continues his rise in men's Tennis.

Zverev or Darderi await in the Rome quarterfinal

Jodar will next face either second seed Alexander Zverev or Italy's Luciano Darderi in the Rome Masters quarterfinals.

The teenager now has the chance to go a step further and become the youngest semifinalist in Rome since Rafael Nadal reached that stage in 2006. Nadal, a 10-time Rome Champion, won the title there as an 18-year-old in 2005 before defending it the following year.

Elsewhere, Casper Ruud defeated Lorenzo Musetti 6 - 3, 6 - 1 to set up a quarterfinal meeting with Karen Khachanov, who overcame Dino Prizmic in straight sets.