This year’s French Open has been shaped largely by weather, with an unusual stretch of extreme heat disrupting play both on and off the courts. That pattern shifted quickly on Sunday morning when cooler and wetter conditions arrived in Paris. Regardless of the weather, the progress of Rafael Jódar continues. The 19-year-old advanced another step by completing a major comeback, overcoming a two-set deficit for the first time to beat his experienced Spanish opponent Pablo Carreño Busta 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 and reach the quarterfinals. Jódar’s rise stands among the notable developments of the season. He holds a record of 19 wins and three losses during his first complete clay-court campaign, reaching the quarterfinals at each tournament after claiming the Marrakech title, reaching the Barcelona semifinal, and advancing to the quarterfinals in Madrid and Rome, which led to his initial grand slam quarterfinal appearance. Ranked No 707 a year earlier, he is expected to climb to around No 22 in the ATP standings. Reaching the later rounds at majors sometimes means facing one or two top players. This event has differed because many leading contenders exited early, leaving more openings in the bracket. A key test for those still competing is maintaining focus. This was evident on Saturday when five of the eight men’s matches extended to five sets amid high pressure. The 27th seed Jódar appeared nervous at the start against his unseeded rival and lost nine straight games after leading 4-1 in the first set. He then recovered strongly from two sets down and dominated the final three sets with powerful baseline play that overwhelmed the 34-year-old. Jódar already ranks among the game’s most precise shotmakers thanks to his speed and directional control from both sides. His composure and shotmaking will face a stern test against Alexander Zverev, the second seed, who defeated lucky loser Jesper de Jong 7-6 (3), 6-4, 6-1. After being favored in his opening four matches, Jódar may benefit from underdog status and play more freely against a heavily favored opponent. João Fonseca extended his strong run by defeating 15th seed Casper Ruud 7-5, 7-6 (8), 5-7, 6-2 to reach his first grand slam quarterfinal. The 19-year-old Brazilian had already come back from two sets down to eliminate Novak Djokovic in the third round and showed increased confidence in his latest win during this unpredictable tournament.
