Jannik Sinner powered into the semi-finals of the Madrid Open with a 6-2, 7-6 victory over Rafael Jodar, but the young Spaniard’s performance offered a glimpse of a promising future.

On paper, the result was no surprise—Sinner is a top contender chasing another Masters 1000 crown. But Jodar, playing in front of a supportive home crowd at Manolo Santana, made things interesting in the second set. At times, it looked like he might push the Italian into a deciding set.

Former tennis pro Andrew Fleming saw plenty of positives in Jodar’s game. “I thought it was actually a really positive match for him,” Fleming said. “As Marion [Bartoli] said pre-match, if he’d lost 6-1, 6-1, and not really been close, it can actually have a detrimental effect, thinking ‘that’s so far away.’ But now he’s almost tasted it—so close to winning the second set—I think his motivation will just be even higher.”

Fleming added that seeing Jodar up close changed his expectations. “I thought his game maybe stood up better than I expected. His serve is maybe better than I thought. He’s got a lot of pop on the serve. The groundstrokes are massive.”

Marion Bartoli echoed that praise, stopping short of labeling Jodar “the next Nadal” but still impressed with his composure. She noted the first set slipped away after an even start, but Jodar’s ability to bounce back in front of the crowd showed real grit.

Sinner, meanwhile, showed why he’s among the best on clay. He saved break points at 4-4 with three clean winners and raised his level in the tiebreak, reeling off five straight points to close out the match. He remains unbeaten on clay this season and is halfway to another Masters 1000 title.

Next up for Sinner is a semi-final clash with Arthur Fils, who has yet to lose on clay this season after winning the Barcelona title. Their only previous meeting came three years ago in Montpellier, where Sinner came out on top. For Jodar, this loss might be the spark he needs to take his game to the next level.