Tennis Prediction Rafael Jodar vs Jannik Sinner: Rome Quarter-Finals

I see Rafael Jodar continuing his meteoric rise on the circuit.

His victory over Learner Tien in the previous round, 6-1 6-4, once again confirms what we've been seeing for several weeks: the level displayed by the Spaniard is completely insane for his age.

He now has a record of 15 wins and only 2 losses on clay this season, and his only losses have come against Jannik Sinner and Arthur Fils.

And most impressively, it's no longer just the raw level of play, it's his consistency, his coolness, his management of the important moments.

He seems totally impervious to pressure, with already a very, very high level of maturity.

On the other side, Luciano Darderi is coming off a huge win over Alexander Zverev, but honestly the match scenario was completely crazy.

The Italian was practically on his way to losing in straight sets before Zverev completely melted down mentally.

And today, I think the context is very different because Jodar is precisely the type of player who gives absolutely nothing mentally.

I see him capable of immediately taking control of the rallies from behind the baseline, imposing his rhythm and, above all, gradually breaking down Darderi.

The stats since the start of the week are very interesting:

🇪🇸 Rafael Jodar

• 5h12 spent on the courts
• 69% of points won behind 1st serve
• 55% behind 2nd serve
• 4.7 break points faced per match

🇮🇹 Luciano Darderi

• 6h17 spent on the courts
• 75% of points won behind 1st serve
• 57% behind 2nd serve
• 4.1 break points faced per match

The numbers are close, but in the overall quality of the baseline game and in the management of the key moments, I really feel that Jodar is already a notch above at the moment.

So yes, seeing him at 1.42 may seem low at first glance, but when you look at: his season, his momentum, the level he's displaying and his previous pricing, I'm almost inclined to find it still interesting.

On the other hand, it's hard not to go for Sinner 2-0 against Rublev.

The Italian is once again evolving at a totally absurd level this week, with an ability to raise his level in the important moments that is becoming almost frightening.

And against Rublev, the matchup seems really complicated to me because Andrey remains a player capable of completely losing the thread mentally as soon as the match slips away from him a bit.

And against a player as clean, as consistent and as clinical as Sinner, it can very quickly become a nightmare.

The Italian should be able to neutralize the Russian's power, make him play one more ball constantly and, above all, exploit the mental lapses that almost always occur with Rublev in this type of big match.