Arthur Fils overcame a set deficit to defeat Rafael Jodar in the semifinals of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, winning 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. The victory marked multiple milestones in a single match for the 21-year-old Frenchman.

Fils erased the early advantage Jodar established when the Spanish teenager took the first set. He recovered by taking the second set 6-3 and then closed out the match 6-2 in the decider. The win ended Jodar’s eight-match winning streak that began with his first ATP title in Marrakech last week and continued with three more wins in Barcelona.

Jodar had also been riding a run of set dominance, having won 13 sets in a row before Fils rallied to halt that sequence. That combination of recent form and momentum made Fils’ comeback more significant.

Most notably, the win was the 100th tour-level victory of Fils’ career. At 21 years old, he became the first man born in 2004 or later to reach 100 tour-level wins. The result advances Fils to the Barcelona final and leaves Jodar’s surge halted at the semifinal stage.

The match underlined Fils’ capacity to close out big moments against an in-form opponent and provided a notable career landmark in the 2026 season. His progression through an ATP 500 event and the accumulation of 100 tour-level wins underline the trajectory he has followed in recent seasons.

Rafael Jodar, a 19-year-old from Madrid, announced himself as a genuine challenger on clay with a composed, powerful win that sent him into the Barcelona semifinals. The son and grandson who share his name has moved rapidly through the pro ranks this spring.

Jodar beat former Top 10 player Cam Norrie 6-3, 6-2 in 69 minutes, a result that echoed an identical scoreline the two produced in Acapulco earlier this year. It was his eighth consecutive victory and added to a resume that already includes the 2024 US Open boys’ title and an ATP trophy in Marrakesh two weeks ago. He is ranked 51st and is poised to move higher on Monday.

Standing 6’3″, Jodar mixes a flat bomb of a serve with a high kick second option and a forehand that blends pace and topspin. One commentator compared that forehand’s look to Arthur Fils. Yet it is Jodar’s two-handed backhand that drew the clearest notice. When he leans into it the stroke arrives with depth and bullet-like speed that repeatedly troubled Norrie.

A pivotal sequence came at 2-2 in the second set. Jodar reached break point twice and was repelled both times, and on the third occasion Norrie pulled off an excellent drop shot that seemed to shut the door. Jodar reversed direction mid-stride, put his racquet on the ball and redirected it into the open court for a winner and the break. “I think I handled the important moments and the pressure moments in the match very well,” Jodar said. “I think I played those points specifically very well.”

At 4-2 he again seized an opening with a powered backhand winner to close the match. If nerves were expected late, they never appeared.

With this run Jodar joins a rising class of young ATP hopefuls. On Saturday he will face Arthur Fils in what will be his stiffest test yet. “I’m super happy with my performance today,” Jodar said, “but I know I have to keep pushing.”

The top two seeds and last year’s finalists, Alexander Zverev and Ben Shelton, both moved into the semifinals at the BMW Open by Bitpanda.

Shelton, the No. 2 seed, survived a stern test from João Fonseca, prevailing 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in one hour and 49 minutes on Center Court. The 23-year-old struck seven aces and won 84 per cent of his first-service points across the three sets. “It was a much warmer day today with shorter rallies,” Shelton said after his first meeting with the 19-year-old. “He is an electric player, one of the rising stars on the tour. It’s a big match for him and there is a lot of excitement around him. He has many fans around the world, and I was looking forward to it, as it’s the type of atmosphere I like to play in. I’d love playing against him in Brazil one day. That’d be really cool.” Shelton advanced to his 14th ATP Tour semi and will meet Slovakian qualifier Alex Molcan on Saturday.

Molcan, ranked No. 166, beat Denis Shapovaolov 6-4, 6-4 in 78 minutes, winning 57 per cent of the total points. He became the lowest-ranked Munich semi-finalist since world No. 186 Gerald Melzer in 2015. “At the beginning of the week, I wasn’t even sure if I was getting into the tournament. I took a risk, I came here and made into the main draw,” Molcan said. “I am playing well. It feels unreal. The last two years were tough. I was struggling a lot. I had to undergo two surgeries, and it was a pretty dark tennis time for me, but I still believed that I could get back to some good level. Last year at this time I was playing Futures, now I am into the semis of an ATP 500. I don’t even know what to say. I am just proud of myself and my team.”

Top seed Alexander Zverev rallied past Francisco Cerundolo 5-7, 6-0, 6-2 to reach his fifth tour-level semi of the season. The match lasted two hours and 15 minutes. “I was 4-1 up in the first set but then he started playing and returning unbelievably,” Zverev said. “My first-serve percentage was very high, and I returned close to the baseline, so there was nothing I could do. I was happy with my level, even in the first set, and I am definitely happy to earn my first win over Francisco on clay.” In the other quarterfinal, fourth seed Flavio Cobolli defeated Vit Kopriva 6-3, 6-2 in one hour and 26 minutes, breaking serve four times. “It wasn’t easy at all today. We fought for every point. It is always a pleasure to play against him, as he is also a nice guy,” Cobolli said. Zverev will face Cobolli in the other semi.