The 19-year-old Spaniard triumphs 6-3 6-2 in Marrakech: first ATP title in his career. The 36-year-old Argentinian’s week remains magical: tomorrow he will be the oldest ever to make his debut in the top 100
Sixteen years and two hundred and twenty-nine days. This is the age difference between 36-year-old Marco Trungelliti, who from tomorrow will become the oldest player ever to make his debut in the top 100, and Rafael Jodar, a 19-year-old Spaniard in his first final on the tour. As indeed, there was also a record of seniority, the Argentinian (with Italian citizenship) was in his first final in Marrakech. A final act which, although devoid of Italian players after Trungelliti beat Darderi in the semi-final, promised great themes. This is also the fifth final with the longest gap between the two contenders in the Open Era. The record remains with Djokovic-Mensik, Miami 2025, with a difference of 18 years and 102 days. But in the end youth, talent, and even a certain predestination, ended up getting the better of Trungelliti’s fairy tale. Jodar, cynical and surprisingly very comfortable on clay after having repeatedly stated both in deeds and words that he prefers hard courts, won the first title of his career 6-3 6-2.
the match
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Trungelliti, who is based on a very expensive game and comes from the qualifiers, was immediately put in difficulty by Jodar’s freshness. Who, in an 18-point first game which would later be the longest of the match, quickly breaks the Argentine’s serve. Rafa plays lively tennis, solid but with excellent peaks, finding quite a few winners (19 at the end) and above all on the forehand side. We can see in him all the desire and determination of someone who wants to forge ahead: a very different story from that of Trungelliti, who with perseverance and dedication came close to rewriting history and taking away from Paolo Lorenzi the record of oldest player to win his first ATP title (the Italian was 34 years and 221 days old at Kitzbuhel 2016). But this time the determination, despite the dream week, is not enough. Jodar quickly wins the first set and, in the second, only faces difficulties at the beginning. However, he saved a break point admirably, the only one granted in the entire match, and then went on and won by also increasing the pace and without actually giving the Argentine any real chances of coming back. And so, after an hour and 10 minutes and only five points lost on serve, Jodar ends up with his arms in the air after a last forehand winner, becoming the first teenage champion in the history of the tournament.
race
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This is just one of the numbers in Jodar’s race to the top, now an established protagonist of the ATP circuit, who with this victory will jump to 57th position, just 90 points from the top 50. A result made even more incredible by the fact that on March 31, 2025, about a year ago, the Spaniard was number 911 in the world. In a year, with constant results first at Challenger level, with three titles, and now also at ATP level with his first success on the main circuit, he has made a leap forward of 854 positions. And he will only turn 20 on September 17th. Trungelliti’s victory would have been the ideal happy ending to a beautiful fairy tale, which still remains a story to tell and will give him the top 100. But Jodar’s victory, the sixth Spaniard to win an ATP title before 20 years after Nadal, Alcaraz, Moya, Ferrero and Robredo, could have given the circuit a new protagonist. Also because Rafa has just become only the second player to win a title among those born from 2006 onwards. And the other, not exactly a second-rate name, is Joao Fonseca. Therefore Spain, between the arrival of Jodar and the imminent arrival of Landaluce, can have ever more hope looking into the future.
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