Rafael Jodar reacts to Alex de Minaur victory at the Madrid Open

Rafael Jodar pulled off a surprising win over Alex de Minaur to reach the third round of the Madrid Open.

The Spanish teenager, fresh off his breakthrough run to the semifinals in Barcelona, handled De Minaur with ease, winning 6-3, 6-1.

The victory was Jodar’s first against a top-ten opponent and added to what has been a tough spell for the Australian.

At just 19 years old and already ranked 42nd in the world, Jodar is quickly making a name for himself as one of tennis’ most promising young players.

After his win, Jodar spoke about how surprised he is by how quickly things are moving for him on tour.

Rafael Jodar reflects on his upset win over Alex de Minaur at the Madrid Open

Speaking to the media after his win, Jodar said: “Everything is happening very fast, I’m playing lots of tournaments and matches.

“That is allowing me to compete against many high-level players and improve my tennis. When you face these opponents, who are the best on Tour, that’s when you really raise your level.

“Today, my aim was to enjoy myself because you don’t play against an opponent like Alex every day. In front of all the people who came to support me, I tried to savour the moment.

“I knew I had to enjoy myself, if I had a shot, I had to go for it. I knew things would get tough because the score doesn’t reflect how hard the match was.

“In the second set, he clawed his way back, but there were key points that I managed to swing my way. That’s what decided the match.”

“The first match helped me a lot in adapting to conditions in Madrid,” Jodar added.

“I came from something completely different in Barcelona and it did me good to get used again to this court again.”

Jodar looks ahead to first meeting with Fonseca

Speaking ahead of the match, Jodar said: “That doesn’t mean the next one will be any less tough; it’ll be very challenging.”

It will be their first meeting at a tour-level event, with both players looking to continue their strong starts to the season.

“Tomorrow I’ll try to have a good practice day and approach Sunday’s match with the same mindset,” Jodar said. “Joao is a tough opponent, and I have to prepare well for this match. I have to play my own game and be ready in case things don’t go as well as today.

“I have to try to stay strong in those moments. We’ll see how it goes.”

Fonseca reached this stage after receiving a walkover in his opening round, with Marin Cilic withdrawing from the tournament.

Read more: