Jaume Munar secured a gritty victory over world No. 18 Karen Khachanov at the ATP Rotterdam 2026, winning 7-6(8), 3-6, 6-3 to reach his first quarterfinal there. A lighthearted moment during a changeover, where Munar struggled to open his water bottle and sought help from the chair umpire, provided comic relief amid the intense match. The 28-year-old Spaniard advances to face the winner of Alexander Bublik versus Jan-Lennard Struff.
The match, which lasted two hours and 35 minutes, saw Munar save a set point in the opening tie-break before showing composure to take the decider. Khachanov, who had won four of his last five matches including a comeback against De Jong in the first round, entered as the favorite. Munar, however, overcame his historical struggles against Russian opponents, where he had lost eight of nine main-draw encounters.
The viral incident occurred during a changeover when Munar wrestled with his water bottle cap. Commentators laughed, joking about players' gym time not extending to such tasks. Tennis TV shared the clip on social media, captioned: “Even athletes need a little help sometimes 😆.”
Munar, from Mallorca, reached a career-high ranking of world No. 33 on December 29, 2025, and currently stands at No. 37, third among Spanish singles players. He has never chased bold predictions, stating in 2019: “I am very far away from being world No. 1 for the moment.” On Grand Slam dreams like those of Novak Djokovic, whom he called a “beast,” Munar said: “That’s a long way off for me.”
Turning professional in 2014, Munar focuses on steady progress, including a key role in Spain's Davis Cup final appearance, where they lost to Italy. His best Grand Slam result is the fourth round at the 2025 US Open. Renowned journalist Jose Morgado noted on X: “Jaume Munar is nowadays an indoor hard specialist. Tennis can be fascinating.”
This win marks Munar's second quarterfinal of 2026, following Adelaide.
