Spanish tennis player Rafa Jódar, 19, claimed his first ATP title on Sunday at the Marrakech 250 by beating Marco Trungelliti 6-3, 6-2. The Madrid native, ranked No. 1,771 a year ago, will rise to No. 57 in the world on Monday. He becomes the sixth Spaniard in the Open Era to win a tournament before age 20.
Rafa Jódar lifted the trophy at the Marrakech ATP 250 after defeating Argentina's Marco Trungelliti 6-3, 6-2 in one hour and eight minutes. It was his first ATP clay-court tournament and his first final on the tour. "I knew I was doing things right, that I was working very well," the Madrid native told several media outlets.
A year ago, Jódar was ranked No. 1,771 in the world; now, with just three months as a pro, he will wake up Monday as No. 57, ahead of compatriots like Munar. US Open junior champion in 2024, he notched his first Grand Slam win at the Australian Open and reached the third round at the Miami Masters 1000. "I don't want to compare myself to anyone. I follow my own path," he said, dismissing parallels with Nadal or Alcaraz, though he is the sixth Spaniard to win an ATP title before 20, alongside them, Moyá, Ferrero, and Robredo.
He travels with his father and without a full tour coach, supported by University of Virginia technicians. "Tennis is not a job for me. I always play to have fun," he explained. Trungelliti, 36, acknowledged: "I suppose this young man gave me a lesson."
In Bucharest, peer Dani Mérida lost his first ATP final to Mariano Navone 6-2, 4-6, 7-5.
