Rafael Jodar completed a 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 comeback win over Jiri Lehecka on 12 October 2026 in the third round of the Rolex Shanghai Masters. The 12th-seeded Spaniard advanced to the last 16 of the hard-court ATP Masters 1000 event after two hours, 42 minutes and 18 seconds.
The result gave Jodar his 40th tour-level victory of the season and extended his head-to-head lead over Lehecka to 2-0. The 22nd-seeded Czech came into Shanghai after finishing runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz in Tokyo, bringing recent success into a contest that remained close across all three sets.
Each player broke serve once during the match: Lehecka in the opening set and Jodar in the decider. The Spaniard recovered through a 7-2 second-set tiebreak, taking the contest into a full final set before securing the fourth-round place.
More first serves, steadier protection
The most revealing shift was in how often Jodar put his first serve into play. His first-serve frequency rose from 50 per cent in the opening set to 67 per cent in the second and 75 per cent in the third. In raw terms, he landed 14 of 28, then 33 of 49, then 27 of 36 first serves.
Those figures show a substantial change in the mix of service points Lehecka faced. Jodar played as many points behind a second serve as a first serve in the opener; by the deciding set, he was playing three first-serve points for every second-serve point. That reduced his exposure to the second delivery as the match progressed.
His success rate on first-serve points stayed within a relatively narrow band: 10 of 14 points won in the first set, 23 of 33 in the second and 18 of 27 in the third. The late-set strength lay in landing that delivery more frequently while continuing to win roughly two-thirds or more of those points.
The pressure figures give that shift practical context. Jodar saved the one break point he faced in the second set and all three in the third. Neither player broke serve in the middle set, making the tiebreak decisive in extending the match. In that deciding set, he converted his only break-point opportunity.
The set-by-set points totals trace the same reversal. Lehecka led 31-26 in the opener; Jodar led 49-45 in the second and 33-29 in the third. Those two four-point advantages outweighed the initial five-point deficit, producing the small overall edge behind a hard-earned victory.
Jodar also came through without a double fault, while Lehecka committed two. The Czech had the higher ace count, ten against three, but Jodar won 25 of 39 points behind his second serve compared with Lehecka’s 28 of 48. Those figures give a different view of the serving contest: the greater number of aces did not accompany a higher second-serve points success rate.
A fifth straight Masters last 16
In the previous round, Jodar beat Tirante 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. The Lehecka result gave him a second consecutive three-set comeback victory in Shanghai after losing the opening set.
At 20, Jodar has now reached the fourth round at five consecutive Masters 1000 tournaments he has played. According to the tournament’s report, he is the youngest man to achieve that sequence since Novak Djokovic in 2007. The significance is sustained progress at this level, with Shanghai adding another last-16 appearance to an already consistent run.
That sequence has come during his first full ATP Tour season, following his decision to turn professional in December 2025. His season record now stands at 40-16, and the Shanghai result strengthens his bid to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals. The combination of overall wins and repeated Masters advancement gives substance to that pursuit.
His next opponent will be eighth seed Arthur Fils or Botic van de Zandschulp. Their third-round match had no completed result recorded in the draw checked for this article. Both reached that meeting in straight sets: Fils beat qualifier Pavel Kotov 6-3, 6-4, while Van de Zandschulp defeated 31st seed Alex Michelsen 6-4, 6-4.
