CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) — Former UVA tennis star Rafael Jodar has been competing in the 2026 French Open at Roland Garros since last Monday. Going into the quarterfinal rounds this Tuesday, he remains alive after taking four straight victories to open his run.
He is the latest tennis sensation from Spain. The 19-year-old Jodar is into the fourth round at a major for the first time after his five-set win over Alex Michelsen. Jodar claimed his first ATP title in Marrakech last month then made it to the semifinals in Barcelona and the quarterfinals in Madrid and Rome. His tour-level record on clay is 18-3. By comparison, 14-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal and Alcaraz both went 13-7 through their first 20 tour-level matches on clay.
“It’s just my first year (on tour) and I’m experiencing a lot of things in these past few months,” he said.
So far in the French open, he’s dispatched American Aleksandar Kovacevic in three sets, Australian James Duckworth in four, and won a pair of dramatic five set matches against another American, Alex Michelsen, and fellow Spainiard Pablo Carreno Busta. Against Busta, Jodar was forced to adapted, changing direction in the cross-court rallies during the match.
“It’s difficult because he has a great backhand,” Jodar said to ATP. “When we’re playing cross with the backhand, it’s difficult to change because he’s playing deep in the court. I tried not to rush the shots and not make a lot of unforced errors. I think that was the key in the first two sets, so I tried to change that.”
A year ago, Jodar was ranked No. 707 and playing challengers — tennis’ minor leagues — in the U.S. after he competed at UVA. Now he’s No. 29 and is seeded 27th in Paris.
“It was obviously another chapter of my life but I think that chapter also helped me to develop a lot and to be a better player now,” Jodar said.
Going to college also helped.
“Living there alone, it was great to develop and to do things by myself,” Jodar said. “It was a new chapter, new culture for me, actually a new life.”
Jodar’s opponent Tuesday is the two-seed in the open, Alexander Zverev. Zverev has only had one match last past the third set throughout his run.
Rowing
Virginia rowing was in Georgia this past weekend for the NCAA Rowing Championships. Throughout the three-day competition, the Hoos finished fourth as a squad behind Texas, fellow ACC school Stanford, and Tennessee. UVA’s best finish was third place in the second varsity eight, four seconds off Texas in second place.
The finish marked the Cavalier’s highest finish since they finished third in 2016.
“Results like this are never the product of a single race or a single crew,” head coach Wesley Ng said. “They are built through countless little moments that might seem irrelevant. I thought we showed a passion for seeking out the big things and the little details – but who can really say what makes the difference when everyone in this regatta is so well prepared.”
Wrestling
Nick Sanko and Emmitt Sherlock of Virginia wrestling were competing in two events run by Team USA in Ohio over the weekend, and both placed in the top five in their respective fields.
Sherlock, in the U.S. World Team Trials at the U20 level, fell by a point in the quarterfinals. He parried his strong performance into three straight victories to earn a place in the third-place match, where he fell 9-8 to earn fourth place overall.
Nick Sanko, competing in the U23 Freestyle Nationals, reached the semifinal of the bracket. He dropped both the semifinal and the consolation semifinal but took the win in the fifth-place match.
Men’s golf
Finally, men’s golf, coming off another ACC Championship, are in the 2026 NCAA Championship. The Cavaliers stand in tenth place, the final qualification spot in stroke play to advance to match play, going into play Monday. Ben James leads the Hoos on the individual leaderboards, sitting right at par with a 72.
Reporting from the Associated Press was used in this article.
