Rafael Jódar Camacho claimed a nearly three-hour third-round victory over Jiří Lehečka at the Shanghai Masters, winning 4-6, 7-6, 6-4. After dropping the first set, the Spaniard found greater aggression and turned the match around in impressive fashion. The win sent him through to the round of 16 and marked an important step in his bid to qualify for the 2026 ATP Finals.
Lehečka controlled the opening set
Jiří Lehečka made the better start. The Czech broke Rafael Jódar Camacho's serve as early as the third game and then settled into a consistent, flat serving display. Jódar struggled to find any rhythm in the early going. Lehečka kept the pressure on from the baseline, dictated long stretches of play, and extended his lead without any significant wobble.
The first set went to Lehečka 6-4. From Jódar's perspective, the key issue was his inability to make inroads on return. Lehečka served reliably, looked to engage early in rallies, and repeatedly forced the Spaniard into difficult defensive positions.
Jódar levels the match
The second set told a different story. Lehečka lost some of his earlier sharpness, while Jódar played with more intent, taking the ball earlier and accelerating rallies sooner. The Spaniard attacked Lehečka's serve with greater conviction and forced the set into a tiebreak.
There, Jódar was the more assertive player. He pressured Lehečka with aggressive returns, took his chances and claimed the tiebreak 7-2 to level the match. Crucially, Jódar refused to go passive after the setback in the opener, instead adopting a noticeably more offensive approach from the baseline.
Decisive break in the deciding set
Both players held serve in the early stages of the deciding set, keeping the contest tight. Every extended rally cranked up the tension. Jódar moved sharply from the baseline, biding his time and waiting for the right moment to attack Lehečka's serve again.
When that moment came, the Spaniard took full advantage with the decisive break. He then protected his lead and closed out the set 6-4 to seal the match. Lehečka battled to the end but could not engineer a comeback.
Statistics underline Jódar's composure
The match statistics reflected just how tight the contest was, despite the result. Jódar won 51 percent of total points and struck three aces. He also avoided any double faults, highlighting his composure at the critical moments.
Lehečka hit ten aces and registered 34 winners but also committed 46 unforced errors. Jódar finished with 24 winners and 20 unforced errors. The Spaniard also won 69 percent of points on his first serve and stayed noticeably cleaner in the big moments of the third set.
For Jódar, this was already his second comeback win of the tournament. In his opening-round match against Thiago Agustín Tirante, he had also recovered from losing the first set to take the victory. Against Lehečka, he reaffirmed that resilience while also improving his head-to-head record, which had stood at 1-0 in his favour heading into the match.
