Following his victory over Arthur Fils to secure a place in the Canadian Open semi-finals, Rafael Jodar is close to setting a new record for the quickest climb into the world’s top 10 in tennis history.
With a 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 triumph over the French player, the 19-year-old has climbed to the 11th spot in the live ATP standings.
If the Spanish youngster defeats Brandon Nakashima in the semi-finals, he will break into the top 10—provided Ben Shelton does not reach the final, which would mean Jodar needs to beat the American player as well.
Meanwhile, Shelton is set to compete against fellow American Learner Tien in the Montreal semi-finals.
Boris Becker holds the existing record for the fastest transition from the top 100 to the top 10, completing the transition in 210 days back in 1985 at the age of 18.
A successful run in Canada would see Jodar accomplish this milestone in a mere 140 days.
Should the Spaniard fall short of the milestone this week, strong showings at the upcoming Cincinnati Masters 1000 or the US Open are still highly likely to secure him the record.
The remarkable speed of Jodar’s ascent has easily eclipsed the paths taken by the legendary figures of 21st-century men’s tennis.
By comparison, fellow countryman Carlos Alcaraz required 336 days to transition from the top 100 to the top 10, whereas Novak Djokovic took 623 days.
It took both Rafael Nadal and Jannik Sinner 735 days to reach the milestone, while Roger Federer needed 973 days.
In the women’s game, the benchmark is 203 days, established in 1990 by a 14-year-old Jennifer Capriati.
His triumph against Fils makes Jodar the first teenager to reach the last eight in Montreal since Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2018, while also becoming the first player born in 2006 or later to advance to a Masters 1000 semi-final.
He already possesses a single ATP tour trophy, having claimed the Grand Prix Hassan II on clay in Marrakech, Morocco, earlier in the season.
