SHANGHAI — Rafael Jodar became the youngest semifinalist in Shanghai Masters history after advancing with victory against Casper Ruud on Friday.
The 20-year-old Spaniard was a set down and rallied to a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 win. It was the fourth straight match at the ATP Masters 1000 event that Jodar had mounted a comeback from losing the first set.
“Casper, I think, played the important points in the first set better than me," Jodar said. "I couldn’t win the break points because of his serve, so I knew I wanted to come back again. It was very tough, so I had to give my best level today to win this match.”
Jodar powered to victory in 2 hours 20 minutes by breaking Ruud's serve five times in the second and third sets.
He will face Daniil Medvedev or Tommy Paul in the semifinals.
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