Young Spaniard Rafa Jodar produced a thrilling comeback against Canada's Denis Shapovalov to book his place in the third round of the Cincinnati Masters, the 1000-point tournament. He turned around a deficit in the decisive set to win 7-5, 4-6, 7-5.
Jodar looked set to exit the tournament when he trailed 1-5 in the third set. He rallied, saved two match points, then reeled off six consecutive games to seal the set and the match.
Controversy marked the encounter. Jodar was forced to stop play twice due to a problem with his shoe, most notably when he trailed 3-5 in the third set. He stopped for more than a minute and called on his father to fix the shoe, which angered Shapovalov.
The 19-year-old Spaniard fought through pain in his left leg and took medical treatment during the match, yet showed strong character to regain his balance and swing the contest his way. Three breaks of his opponent's serve in the decisive set proved decisive.
Jodar apologised to Shapovalov afterwards for the stoppages. The Canadian hit back, accusing his opponent of exploiting the breaks to drink water under the guise of the shoe problem.
"I'm very happy to have achieved my first victory in Cincinnati," Jodar said after the match, stressing that the encounter had been difficult and that he had to keep fighting until the end.
He felt particularly happy about his ability to control his emotions during the difficult moments, noting that the win would give him a strong boost of confidence as he continued his run in the tournament.
Jodar faces Chile's Alejandro Tabilo in the third round.