He ultimately served out the contest at love to secure his third Top 70 win of the season.
“It was a really tough match. I knew Tomas came playing very well in the last few tournaments. I had to be there from the first point,” Jodar said in an on-court interview afterwards.
Asked about his nation’s storied heritage in the sport, the world No. 89 commented, “Every Spanish player is a warrior. From Nadal to Alcaraz, everyone is a fighter. They want to fight until the last point. It’s in our DNA, so I kept doing that (like) them.”
Jodar, ranked No. 911 this time last year, is coming off a third-round showing at the Miami Open. Since winning his tour-level debut at the Australian Open, the Madrid native is now 7-6 at the highest level of the sport.
A meeting with 2023 finalist Alexandre Muller awaits Jodar Friday. The Frenchman knocked off eighth-seeded Vit Kopriva with a 6-3, 7-6 (3) victory.
