Exactly two weeks after winning his second professional title of 2025, sophomore Rafael Jódar took to the court Sunday in an effort to bring home his third. His opponent was the same — world No. 191 Martin Damm Jr., a towering lefty who Jódar beat in three sets in the Lincoln Challenger.
The result was also the same — more dominant, even. Jódar, returning to Charlottesville after an early exit in the Sioux Falls Challenger, beat Damm Jr., 6-3, 7-6, and lifted the championship plaque in front of a home crowd that included his Virginia tennis coaches and teammates.
Entering the tournament ranked No. 207 in the world and leaving it No. 166, Jódar continued to put the tennis world on notice with dominant play. He did not drop a set through his five matches and only had his serve broken three times.
In his first two matches of the tournament, Jódar faced world No. 247 Murphy Cassone and No. 299 Saba Purseladze. The Cassone match was fairly competitive — Jódar won 6-4, 7-5 but faced an uphill battle against Cassone’s strong service. The Purseladze match was much more dominant on Jódar’s end, as the budding Spanish star thrashed the Georgian 6-4, 6-0 in a match that lasted just over an hour.
In the quarterfinals, Jódar encountered a familiar face — not an opponent he has seen regularly on the Challenger Tour, but rather his teammate, Swiss junior Dylan Dietrich, who was having an impressive tournament in his own right that included a win over No. 203 Jay Clarke.
The Jódar-Dietrich match was, as anyone familiar with the two players would predict, a fun one. The Cavaliers’ Court 1 and Court 2 singles players are both top 10 in the NCAA, and the match was reminiscent of one of those top-line singles matches found in a late-spring dual between top collegiate stars.
Jódar continued his trend of dominating from the baseline with unparalleled pressure and decisiveness for a player of his age, while Dietrich pulled out his arsenal of circus shots and his usually powerful serve. Ultimately, Jódar won 7-5, 6-3, and moved on to the semifinal, where he logged a win over No. 212 Johannus Monday following a second-set walkover.
Facing Damm Jr. in a final for the second time in two weeks, Jódar secured the first set 6-3 after securing two breaks halfway through. The second set was much closer once Damm Jr. found more confidence in his serve, and neither of the two could break the other, leading to a tiebreak at 6-6. A double fault and a couple errant forehands by Damm Jr. opened the match for Jódar, as he won it 7-2 before celebrating with his coaches and teammates.
“It was the best week possible,” Jódar said. “I felt at home, not just for the final but for the whole week.”
With another title, Jódar is also now the highest-ranked collegiate player on the professional tour, passing Columbia senior Michael Zheng this week. He is also one spot removed from qualifying for the Next Gen ATP Finals in December, a jumping-off point for a number of top players under 20 years old.
With his surging ranking and the attached opportunities on the professional tour, there was no avoiding the question of Jódar’s future — specifically whether or not Sunday’s win over Damm Jr. would be his last match in Charlottesville as a member of Virginia men’s tennis. In his closing remarks of his victory speech after thanking all the fans, organizers and staff, as well as his coaches and teammates, Jódar gave a smiling nod to that question.
“This has been one of the best years of my life,” Jódar said. “Thank you very much for supporting me the whole year. See you in January.”
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