Flavio Cobolli Ends Rafael Jódar’s Cincinnati Open Run in Three Sets

Flavio Cobolli ended Rafael Jódar’s Cincinnati Open campaign with a 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-3 victory in the fourth round on Wednesday. Jódar took the opening set before the seventh-seeded Italian forced a deciding set through the second-set tiebreak and completed the comeback with a 6-3 third set.

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The Guardian reported that Jódar came within two points of victory on several occasions during the match. Cobolli, who reached the French Open final earlier this season, ultimately advanced after halting the teenager’s latest run at a major ATP event.

Jódar had already produced a notable escape in Cincinnati. In the second round he recovered from 5-1 down against Denis Shapovalov to win, then defeated 22nd seed Alejandro Tabilo in the third round. His loss to Cobolli followed a Masters 1000 semifinal appearance in Montreal just over a week earlier.

The Cincinnati result adds to a breakthrough season for the 19-year-old Spaniard. According to The Guardian, Jódar began 2026 ranked No. 165 and had climbed to No. 11 by the time of the tournament. He was also seventh in the ATP race, placing him in contention to qualify for the season-ending ATP Finals.

His results over the previous four months included a first ATP title in Marrakech, a runner-up finish in Washington and a first Grand Slam quarterfinal at Roland Garros. At Masters 1000 level, he has reached a semifinal and two quarterfinals during the same period. Those achievements followed a rapid transition to the main tour after he began competing regularly in May 2025 following a spell at the University of Virginia.

Jódar was ranked No. 540 in August 2025 and No. 109 earlier in his climb this season, The Guardian reported. An abdominal strain disrupted his grass-court campaign, but his results on other surfaces have driven the sharp rankings improvement. Cobolli’s three-set win stopped that progress in Cincinnati while securing the Italian a place in the next round.