Rafael Jodar continues to hit new highs even in the midst of his breakout 2026 season on the ATP Tour.
The 19-year-old Spaniard on Tuesday booked his spot in his first ATP Masters 1000 semifinal by downing Arthur Fils 7-6(5), 6-3 at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers in Montreal. Jodar had seen a 4-1 lead reduced to 5-4 in the opening set before rain interrupted play for about an hour, and then also lost an early break lead in the second set. But he kept his cool on both occasions to claim a one-hour, 42-minute win and become the first man born in 2006 or later to reach the last four at a Masters 1000 event.
🚨 Make Way for ’06 🚨
— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 11, 2026
Jodar becomes the first man of his generation to reach a Masters 1000 semi-final!@OBNmontreal | #NBO26 pic.twitter.com/fzTW2I8fIx
“I knew that I was doing things right,” said Jodar, when asked how he had retained his composure after losing his early lead. “I think he played a good game when he broke my serve in the fourth game of the second set. I was just trying to [play] my game and see what happened. That worked perfectly today, and I stayed very calm during those important pressure moments of the match.
“It wasn’t going to be easy, and I knew that even going a set and a break up. The match was not finished, because Arthur always gives his best until the finish.”
Jodar converted four of 12 break points he earned to defeat Fils at Montreal’s IGA Stadium, according to Infosys ATP Stats. The Spaniard now leads 2-1 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series, having also overcome Fils in late July en route to the Washington final.
The Jodar train ROLLS ON 🚂
— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 11, 2026
Rafa is headed for his first Masters 1000 final four appearance 🤩@OBNmontreal | #NBO26 pic.twitter.com/xaHhPzp5ch
By reaching his fourth ATP Tour semifinal of the year (after Marrakech, Barcelona and Washington), Jodar maintained his push for a stunning surge into the Top 10 of the PIF ATP Rankings. Having started the season as the World No 168, the teenager is now up four spots to No 11 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings as a result of his Montreal exploits so far. He could climb as high as No 9 by lifting the title in Canada, depending on other results.
Standing between Jodar and a championship-match berth in Montreal is Brandon Nakashima. The 28th-seeded American also advanced to his maiden semifinal at Masters 1000 level by easing past 19th seed Luciano Darderi 6-2, 6-3.
“Super happy with making my first semifinal,” Nakashima said in his post-match press conference. “It was a goal of mine at the beginning of the year to try to do well at one of these Masters 1000s tournaments. So to be able to do it the for first time here is really special.”
At 25, Nakashima was the oldest of the eight quarterfinalists in Montreal, where an ATP Tour last-eight line-up for the first time featured only players born in the 2000s. The American will now prepare for his first tour-level clash with Jodar knowing he is up six spots to No 25 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, setting him up for a new career high after Montreal.