MELBOURNE, Australia – Former Virginia men's tennis players Chris Rodesch and Rafael Jódar faced one another in the second round of qualifying for the Australian Open.
The first set between the two Cavaliers came down to a tiebreaker that extended out well past the seven-point mark, with Jódar prevailing 12-10. The 19-year-old Spaniard took the second set in 6-3 to eliminate Rodesch.
Jódar will face Luca Van Assche from France in Wednesday's qualifying final. Jódar is ranked No. 150 in the world while Van Assche, a former top-100 player, is currently ranked No. 165.
Rodesch topped the No. 15 seed Billy Harris 6-3, 6-4 in his opener, while Jódar won 6-2, 6-1 against Australian wildcard Li Tu. Rodesch is currently ranked No. 208.
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.