MELBOURNE, Australia – Former Virginia men's tennis players Chris Rodesch and Rafael Jódar will face one another in the second round of qualifying for the Australian Open.
The Cavalier showdown will be the third match on Court 7. Action on the court begins at 6 pm ET on Tuesday, Jan. 13 (10 am, Wednesday, Jan. 14 in Australia), with an approximate match time of 8:30 pm for Rodesch and Jódar. The action will be carried live on ESPN+.
This is the fourth straight Grand Slam qualifying appearance for Rodesch who advanced through qualifying to earn a spot in the Wimbledon main draw last summer. This is Jódar's first time competing in qualifying for a Grand Slam.
Rodesch, a 2024 UVA grad, was a three-time ITA Singles All-American. He finished his career with a 94-27 record in singles and a 59-26 mark in doubles, helping to lead the Cavaliers to two NCAA titles, three ACC Championships and a perfect 48-0 record in regular-season ACC matches. He was also a three-time All-ACC First Team honoree and earned the conference’s scholar-athlete of the year award twice.
Jódar was the 2025 ITA National Freshman of the Year, posting a 19-3 singles record, finishing the year as the highest-ranked player in the ACC at No. 4 in the ITA Singles Rankings. In his time at Virginia, he was the ACC Freshman of the Year, an ITA Singles All-American, All-ACC First Team in singles and UVA’s Male Rookie of the Year across all sports. He won three ATP Challenger singles titles while enrolled at the University. He announced in December that he would forego his remaining collegiate eligibility to turn professional.