LONDON — Rafael Jodar produced another remarkable comeback against fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta to reach the third round at Wimbledon on Thursday, repeating the resilience that carried him past the former world No. 10 at Roland Garros earlier this year.
The 19-year-old Spaniard completed a 3-6, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory after the match resumed following an overnight suspension caused by fading light. Play had been halted on Wednesday with Carreno Busta leading two sets to one and Jodar holding a 2-1 advantage on serve in the fourth.
Jodar quickly raised the pressure after leveling the match, earning three break points at the start of the deciding set. Although Carreno Busta escaped from 0-40 to hold, Jodar immediately responded by winning the next four games to seize control before closing out victory after three hours and 43 minutes.
The win mirrored Jodar’s breakthrough victory over Carreno Busta at the French Open in May, where he also recovered from a deficit to defeat the veteran in five sets and reach his first Grand Slam quarterfinal.
Jodar is making his first professional appearance at Wimbledon after reaching the boys’ quarterfinals in 2024. His victories this week also marked his first tour-level wins on grass and made him only the third Spanish teenager in the Open Era to reach the Wimbledon men’s singles third round after Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz.
“It’s difficult, because you don’t have a lot of time to reset your mind and to this new surface,” Jodar said. “It’s true it’s my first time playing on grass. It wasn’t like that when I started playing on clay this season, because I had already played a lot when I was younger on clay. So I just try to adapt.”
“I got a good week of preparation here in Wimbledon the week before starting the tournament, so I’m confident with that. I try to give my best.”
Jodar’s rise has continued at remarkable speed over the past year. Ranked No. 554 at the same stage last season, he climbed to No. 25 in the live ATP rankings after collecting his 26th tour-level victory of 2026.
The Spaniard will next face Japanese qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki, with the winner advancing to a potential fourth-round meeting against defending champion Jannik Sinner or American Jenson Brooksby.
Elsewhere, Grigor Dimitrov recorded one of his biggest victories of the season by defeating 15th-seeded Jakub Mensik 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 to return to the Wimbledon third round.
The Bulgarian relied on his trademark slice and all-court variety to disrupt the powerful Czech before sealing victory with a forehand winner under the closed roof on No. 1 Court.
“I am so happy to be back and to be able to play tennis in front of you guys,” Dimitrov told the crowd. “It is just a great match today. All I had to do was to come out and fight.”
The victory marked another positive step in Dimitrov’s recovery from the pectoral injury that forced him to retire while leading eventual champion Jannik Sinner by two sets in last year’s quarterfinal.
Dimitrov will next meet Matteo Berrettini, who advanced with a 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 victory over France’s Arthur Fils.
The Italian reached the Wimbledon final in 2021 and is back in the third round for the first time since 2023 after also reaching the French Open quarterfinals earlier this season.
