Rafael Jódar Advances to the Finals of the Lincoln ATP Challenger

LINCOLN, Nebraska – Virginia men’s tennis sophomore Rafael Jódar is competing this week at the ATP Challenger, being held at the Sid and Hazel Dillon Tennis Center on the campus of the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Jódar opened the tournament with a 6-3, 7-5 win against Cannon Kingsley in the opening round and a 6-4, 6-1 win against Max Wiskandt in the Round of 16. On Friday, he took down the tournament’s top seed, No. 112 Brandon Holt 6-0, 7-5 to advance to Saturday’s semifinal.

On Saturday, he topped No. 169 Patrick Kypson 6-3, 6-3 in the semis. Kypson was the four-seed in the draw.

Kypson is the fourth player ranked in the top-200 in the world that Jódar has defeated in the last month.

Jódar will face No. 240 Martin Damm in the final on Sunday as he plays for his second career Challenger title.

This was the seventh time Jódar has made an ATP Challenger semifinal and his ninth time in the quarterfinals. It is his second Challenger final.

Jódar is 32-11 in ATP Challenger and ITF World Tennis Tour matches this year. He is ranked No. 283 in the latest ATP world rankings.