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The semifinal day at the 2026 Barcelona Open brought true drama and almost identical scenarios in both matches. The young hopes and the tournament’s biggest surprises, Hamad Medjedovic and Rafael Jodar, opened their duels strongly and won the first sets. However, the more experienced favorites, Andrey Rublev and Arthur Fils, found a way to respond physically and tactically, turn the results around, and set up a battle for the title.
Rublev Breaks Medjedovic’s Resistance in Three Sets
Hamad Medjedovic delivered another phenomenal performance but was ultimately defeated by the fifth seed Andrey Rublev 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 after almost two hours of play (1:58). The Serbian tennis player entered the match dominantly, but the Russian raised his level of aggressiveness and physical fitness over time.
The key to the match was in unforced errors – as the match progressed, Medjedovic made as many as 38, while Rublev remained significantly more stable with 23 errors. Although Hamad had a high first-serve percentage of 71%, he failed to capitalize on it sufficiently (winning 63% of first-serve points), while Rublev returned brilliantly later on, converting 4 out of 9 break opportunities. On the other hand, Medjedovic utilized only 1 of his 6 break chances. The fact that we watched true attacking tennis from both sides is evidenced by the data that both players recorded exactly 25 winners each.
Fils Survives the Surge of Young Jodar
In the second semifinal, we witnessed a mirrored sequence of events. The young Spaniard Rafael Jodar, carried by the home crowd, won the first set, but the ninth seed Arthur Fils stepped on the gas and triumphed 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 after an hour and 52 minutes of battle.
Fils completely dominated the baseline rallies, recording 28 winners compared to only 11 by Jodar. Although the Frenchman made more unforced errors due to his high-risk approach (34 against 30), his aggressiveness ultimately paid off. Fils was extremely ruthless on his first serve, winning a massive 81% of points when it landed in (38/47). The Spaniard fought heroically, saving an impressive 10 out of 13 break points, but Fils ended up winning a total of 88 points against Jodar’s 78, breaking the match in his favor.
