Cameron Norrie stunned by Rafael Jodar in Acapulco first round
cameron norrie was beaten in straight sets by Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar in his opening match at the Abierto Mexicant Telcel, a result that hands Jodar his first ATP 500 victory and moves the 19-year-old closer to the top 100.
How the match unfolded at the Abierto Mexicant Telcel
Jodar defeated the Brit 6-3, 6-2 in a match that lasted 56 minutes. The first set remained on serve until the eighth game, when Jodar broke Norrie on his second attempt and then served out the set. In the second set, an out-of-sorts Norrie was unable to respond as the 19-year-old reeled off five games in a row, during which he lost only two points.
Rafael Jodar’s ranking rise and ATP 500 milestone
The victory was described as the biggest triumph of Jodar’s career to date and his first-ever win at ATP 500 level. Article details list him as world no. 114, and a separate live ranking update has him at No. 101 after surging 13 places following the win. The result puts the teenager on the brink of entering the top 100 for the first time.
Wildcard entry and the path into the Acapulco main draw
Jodar was handed a wildcard into the Acapulco tournament’s main draw after initially being entered into qualifying; organisers moved him into the main draw because of his previous results on tour. The win over Norrie came after that wildcard decision.
Recent form: Challengers, Grand Slam qualifying and ATP tour runs
Jodar reached the final of the Challenger 125 in Canberra and reached the second round of the Australian Open after coming through qualifying to reach the main draw of a Grand Slam for the first time. He has also impressed in two previous ATP tour events, reaching the last 16 of the Delray Beach Open before being downed by Taylor Fritz, and successfully reaching the main draw of the Dallas Open after straight-set qualifying wins over Murphy Cassone and Mitchell Krueger.
What Cameron Norrie’s exit means for the Acapulco draw
Cameron Norrie, listed as the tournament’s seventh seed and noted as world No. 28 who has peaked at No. 8 in the rankings, was beaten in his opening match. Jodar will now face either Grigor Dimitrov or Terence Atmane in the second round.
Jodar’s background, development and notable encounters
Jodar is 19 and from Leganes; his family hails from Baeza in the province of Jaen and he was born in Madrid on September 17, 2006. He represents the Chamartin Tennis Club in Madrid and first started making waves on the lower levels in 2024 while studying at the University of Virginia. His breakthrough in juniors came in September when he won the US Open Boys’ singles title, beating second seed Kaylan Bigun in the quarter-final, third seed Rei Sakamoto in the semi-final and top seed Nicolai Budkov Kjaer in the final.
He stepped up to the ATP Challenger Tour in 2025, winning the Crete Challenger III in Greece in August and adding the Lincoln Challenger and the Charlottesville Men’s Challenger in October. He turned professional in December 2025 and a month later made his Grand Slam debut by coming through qualifying at the Australian Open and then reaching the second round with a win over Rei Sakamoto. In December he met his idol Rafael Nadal during the Next Gen ATP Finals in Saudi Arabia, and he has already practised with world No. 1 Alcaraz as his sparring partner at Melbourne Park. On that session, Jodar said, “I didn’t know it was going to be on centre court, and it was a good workout. I maintain a good relationship with Alcaraz because he’s a very good person. ”
