After defeating fellow American Brandon Nakashima 6-3 3-6 6-2, Taylor Fritz punched his ticket the men’s final at the 2026 Washington Open.
Fritz will take on Spain’s Rafael Jodar, who defeated Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo 6-7(6) 6-4 6-4 to make his way into Sunday’s final. Fritz, who’s battled knee tendinitis this season, is trying to keep a clear head before the highly-anticipated showdown.
“To be honest, I don’t really treat a 500 final, I guess, any different than, like, a 250,” he told reporters. “The feeling of wanting to win the tournament when you get to the end of it, it’s all the same. I’ve played plenty of finals in my life.
“This will be my fourth final just this year, so I’d like to get a title. I’d like to have that confidence to kind of go all the way.”
However, fans waiting to see the 28-year-old American face the 19-year-old Spaniard must wait as there’s a weather delay on Sunday.
When Will the Taylor Fritz vs. Rafael Jodar Final Start?
While Fritz and Jodar were supposed to start their final at 2 p.m. ET, however, they must wait until another final match conclude once the rain delay clears.
Mubadala DC Open’s official X account posted at 2: 15 p.m., “Lightning has cleared and we are no longer mandating shelter in place on site. Play is still scheduled to resume not before 2:45 pm EST.”
At 2:57 p.m. ET, the tournament’s official account shared the good news, “Players are on court now 🎾.”
After Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool defeated Austin Krajicek and Nikola Mektićin the men’s doubles final, Fritz and Jodar must wait for American Jessica Pegula to take on Filipina star Alexandra Eala in the women’s singles final, which was also delayed due to weather. Once a champion is declared, Fritz and Jodar will take the court.
Taylor Fritz Admitted He Doesn’t Have an Exact Plan to Defeat Rafael Jodar
GettyRafael Jodar of Spain celebrates during a men’s singles match against Alejandro Tabilo of Chile at the Mubadala DC Open 2026.
“I’ll be honest, I don’t know,” Fritz said of taking down the surging young tennis star.
“The whole time he was really kind of tearing it up, I was injured. I wasn’t paying attention to tennis. I just saw the results,” Fritz added. “Yeah, I couldn’t tell you. I was so disconnected from tennis during that time…. It’s one of those things, when you get into the final, kind of anything can happen.”
And a win will be great for Fritz ahead of the U.S. Open. “I think something I talked about the other day that the tour is very rewarding rankings and points-wise of, you know, going all the way and not so much losing in semis and finals. So I really want to get this one done.”
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