Jaume Munar Hits Milestones with US Open Run and Career-Best Ranking

Munar’s professional success has largely come on clay, the vast majority of his championships on the Challenger Tour, a circuit that he has been a steady hand on, have been on clay, but it’s the final hard-court slam of the year where he finally put together three consecutive victories.

Munar needed four sets against the unheralded Jamie Faria in round 1, and he entered the tournament in good form after the quarterfinal in Winston-Salem. Consecutive routine wins followed, Gabriel Diallo was his seeded opponent in round 2, and he won in straights, as Diallo wracked up errors. Zizou Bergs had benefited from a walkover in the previous round, but was no match for Munar on Saturday, falling in straights. With defensive steadiness from behind the baseline, Munar simply let Bergs flail about, to reach the biggest stage of his career where a heavily favored Lorenzo Musetti awaits. This stage is also Musetti’s best at the US Open, having reached the second week in New York for the first time.

Munar’s ability to absorb pressure is boosting his confidence. A Spanish player in the shadow of the elite Carlos Alcaraz, a player he battled for nearly three hours this season at ATP Queens Club, Munar receives limited publicity on tour, but his best Grand Slam results have come in 2025, as he also reached the third round of Wimbledon this year, finally showing promise on faster surfaces. Munar was a promising junior, but it’s taken him a decade to ascend to this level on the ATP Tour.

Two Wins over Musetti, A Good Omen for the Round of 16

We will see on Monday against Musetti, if all the improvements will be enough for Munar to pull off an uspset.