Rafael Jodar breaks into top 100 after Cameron Noori Acapulco win: ‘I’m enjoying the process’ | ATP Tour
Raphael Hodar
Jordahl closes to top 100 after Nori Acapulco win: ‘I’m enjoying the process’
Spaniard rises to 101st in PIF ATP live rankings
February 24, 2026
Mekstenes
Rafael Jodar makes his debut at the Acapulco ATP 500 event.
Sam Jacott
Rafael Jodar continued his rapid rise to the top at the HSBC Telecom Mexico tournament on Monday, defeating former Acapulco finalist Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-2 to advance into the second round.
Twelve months ago, Jordahl was outside the top 900. Now close to the top 100, his victory over Nori moved him to No. 101 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.
In the past six months, the 2024 US Open men’s singles champion has won three ATP Challenger titles, competed in the Next Generation ATP Finals and won three more Tour-level titles this year.
“I’ve been to a lot of places and played in a lot of tournaments,” Jordahl told ATPTour.com after his victory over Nori. “I didn’t have two or three weeks to relax at home; [process] What am I doing. But I just want to enjoy the process and every step I take in this beautiful process. I’m trying to compete in all the games I can and enjoy all the games I can, which means a lot to me. “
According to Infosys ATP statistics, Jordahl made just six unforced errors against world No. 26 Norrie and faced no break points. At just 19 years old, Jordal is the fourth person born in 2006 or later to win at the ATP 500 level, joining Joao Fonseca, Justin Engel and Diego Dedula.
“It was a great tournament, the overall facility and organization was great,” Jordal said when asked about the match in Acapulco. “It’s one of the first ATP 500 events I’ve ever played and getting my first win in Mexico means a lot to me. It means a lot to the work I’ve been doing and I’m very happy.
“I just tried to focus on every moment of the game. Cameron is a great fighter and a great player, so I knew there were going to be tough moments, so I tried to be tougher than him in those moments. I’m just happy to get the win here.”
Jordal turned pro after the Next Generation ATP Finals in Jeddah in December, where he defeated Learner Tien and Martin Landaluce. The 19-year-old, who will represent the University of Virginia in 2024 and 2025, is the latest emerging talent in the U.S. college system.
World No. 9 Ben Shelton represents the University of Florida in 2021 and 2022, while Next Generation ATP Finals champion Tenn represents the University of Southern California. 2023 Next Generation ATP Finals champion Brandon Nakashima plays for the University of Virginia, and 21-year-old Ethan Quinn won the 2023 NCAA Singles National Championship for the University of Georgia.
Jordahl, who aims to become the latest top-100 college star, will next face either Grigor Dimitrov or Terence Atmane in Acapulco.
