Rising stars Rafa Jódar and Daniel Mérida shine in a good week for Spanish tennis
The two young Spaniards reached milestone ATP finals on the same day, with one securing a first title and the other narrowly missing out after a demanding week
Enric Gardiner
Madrid
Sunday, 5 April 2026, 23:31
In a good weekend for Spanish tennish, Rafa Jódar won the first ATP title of his career on Sunday with a 6-3 6-2 victory over Argentina’s Marco Trungelliti in the Marrakech ATP 250, while fellow Spaniard Daniel Mérida was beaten in the Bucharest final.
The 19-year-old Jódar delivered a controlled performance in just his seventh ATP tournament, breaking serve in the opening game and maintaining dominance throughout.
His powerful forehand and reliable serve limited Trungelliti’s chances, with the Argentinian returning only 29 per cent of serves in the first set.
In fact, Jódar dropped just one set all week, beating Dusan Lajovic, Tomas Machac, Alexandre Muller and Ugo Carabelli before easing past Trungelliti, who had reached his first ATP final at the age of 36 after coming through qualifying.
"It’s incredible. I don’t have words to describe what I’m feeling. It’s my first time in Marrakech and I’ve loved it," Jódar said.
The Madrid-born player has enjoyed a rapid rise, climbing from outside the top 900 a year ago to an expected world ranking of 57. The result places him in contention for direct entry into upcoming Grand Slams and Masters 1000 events.
He is also the first Spanish player other than Carlos Alcaraz to win an ATP title since Roberto Bautista in Antwerp in 2024.
Mérida falls short
Earlier in the day, Jódar's compatriot Mérida fell to Argentina’s Mariano Navone 6-2 4-6 7-5 in the Bucharest final after a physically demanding week.
The 21-year-old, playing only his second ATP tournament, had come through qualifying and played multiple matches in a single day during the early rounds.
He also saved match points in earlier ties and recovered from a set down in the semi-finals to reach his first ATP final.
Mérida responded after losing the opening set, improving on return to take the second, but showed signs of fatigue in the decider.
After leading 3-1, he was pegged back by Navone, who eventually converted his opportunity when a forehand from the Spaniard clipped the net and went wide.
Despite the defeat, Mérida is set to rise to around 101 in the world rankings, moving to the brink of the top 100 after a breakthrough week.
