Rafael Jodar Comes Back from Two Sets Down to Reach First French Open Quarterfinal

Rafael Jodar erased a two-set deficit to defeat Pablo Carreño Busta 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 in the round of 16 at the French Open on May 31, 2026. The victory lifted his ranking to No. 22 and set up a quarterfinal against No.

2 seed Alexander Zverev, his first at Roland Garros. As Jodar walked onto the court for the match, a child mascot stood waiting with an outstretched hand. Footage broadcast by France Télévisions showed Jodar walking past the girl without acknowledging her.

The clip circulated online the same day. The mascot moment occurred two days after Jodar was forced to deny that he shoved a ball girl. Between sets of his previous match against Alex Michelsen, a ball girl walked into Jodar’s path as he left the court.

Jodar raised his hand to speak to his father, and the girl lost her balance and fell backward. After beating Michelsen, Jodar addressed the earlier incident. “She was walking backwards, I mean, I didn’t push her or anything,” he said.

“I was telling my dad to give me the things that he was going to give me after a toilet break when I was coming back. But yeah, she was in the middle, so I think she was trying to get out of the way. ” Jodar’s quarterfinal against Zverev will be his first appearance at that stage of the French Open.