World No. 1 Jannik Sinner ended the fairy-tale run of teenage sensation Rafael Jodar in the Madrid Masters quarterfinals, securing a 6-2, 7-6(0) victory. The win propels the Italian into the semifinals and cements his place in tennis history alongside the Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
By reaching the final four in Madrid, Sinner has now reached the semifinals of all nine Masters 1000 tournaments. He becomes only the sixth player to complete the semifinal set, joining Nadal, Djokovic, Federer, Andy Murray, and Alexander Zverev.
Furthermore, Sinner has reached the semifinals of the first four Masters 1000 events of the season (Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, and Madrid). He joins Federer (2006) and Nadal (2010, 2011) as the only players to achieve this feat while ranked World No. 1.
Sinner chasing the Career Golden Masters
Sinner is currently enjoying a dominant season, having swept all four Masters 1000 titles so far in 2026. He is now on a collision course with history as he seeks the Career Golden Masters—winning all nine Masters 1000 tournaments at least once.
If Sinner triumphs in Madrid and follows it up with a win at the upcoming Rome Masters, he will complete the collection. Currently, Novak Djokovic is the only player in the Open Era to achieve this feat, completing it in 2018 and incredibly repeating the cycle in 2020.
Sinner praises rising star Jodar
The Italian faced a stern test against the 19-year-old local favorite. Jodar’s incredible run in Madrid included his first Top 10 win over Alex de Minaur and a victory over Joao Fonseca. While Sinner cruised through the first set, Jodar pushed the second to a tiebreak. However, Sinner’s experience shone through as he swept the breaker 7-0.
“He pushed me to the limit,” Sinner said of Jodar in his post-match interview. “He’s an incredible player. I tried to be ready as much as I could. I’m incredibly happy; it was a very high-quality match. I got a bit lucky in the second set, but also had a bit of experience. I’m obviously very happy to be in the semis here for the first time. It means a lot to me”.
