Rafael Jódar reached the semifinals of a Masters 1000 event for the first time, defeating Arthur Fils 7-6(5), 6-3 in one hour and 42 minutes at the Montreal Masters after the match was delayed Monday by rain and interrupted again for nearly an hour on Tuesday.
The Spaniard, who had already advanced past Jiří Lehečka in the round of 16, provisionally climbs to No. 11 in the world and moves within reach of the top 10, currently closed by Ben Shelton. It marks his fourth semifinal of the season following a title in Marrakech and runner-up finishes in Barcelona and Washington.
Jódar next faces Brandon Nakashima, who defeated Luciano Darderi 6-2, 6-3 in the quarterfinals. Should Jódar secure qualification for the ATP Finals in Turin in November, he would become the first debutant to do so.