Delete
Joao Fonseca celebrates his victory over Rublev. W. West / AFP
Joao Fonseca Arrives on the Scene

Joao Fonseca Arrives on the Scene

The Brazilian, hailed as the greatest promise in current tennis, defeats Rublev in his first Grand Slam match

Enric Gardiner

Martes, 14 de enero 2025, 15:15

Joao Fonseca, an 18-year-old Brazilian, has emerged as a new contender in the tennis world by defeating Andrey Rublev (7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-6 (5)), ranked ninth, in his first Grand Slam match. This comes shortly after the much-anticipated rivalry between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

A year ago, Fonseca was ranked outside the top 700, but now he is the talk of Melbourne. The Margaret Court Arena was filled with Brazilian flags, and despite facing a top ten player, the crowd chanted Fonseca's name during crucial points.

Ranked 112th, the Rio de Janeiro native earned his place in the tournament through sheer effort, advancing through the qualifiers without dropping a set. He delivered two 'bagels' and conceded only twelve games across three matches. The Russian, struggling with form and anxiety, must have been wary when the draw paired him with Fonseca.

Fonseca recently won a Challenger in Canberra and was crowned the best young player on the circuit by winning the Next Gen Finals in December. He hasn't lost a set since November, when he was defeated in the semifinals of a Challenger in Lyon.

His meteoric rise over the past twelve months has been largely built on the Challenger circuit. In 2024, he won one title, reached another final, and made two semifinals, along with several quarterfinal appearances. On the ATP level, he reached the quarters in Rio de Janeiro, won matches in Bucharest and Madrid, but left Santiago de Chile, Estoril, and Halle without victories. In the Davis Cup group stage, he won two out of three matches.

Fonseca's ability to retrieve balls, hit winning returns, and execute forehand and backhand winners left Rublev unable to take a set from him on Melbourne's blue hard courts. "I enjoyed this moment," said the Brazilian after his victory. "It was my first time in a stadium like this, my first Grand Slam match. I just enjoyed it. I played my tennis and I'm in the second round," he added. He will face Italian Lorenzo Sonego next, whom he defeated last April in Bucharest when there was a ranking gap of over 200 places between them.

One Step Forward, One Step Back

Elsewhere, Holger Rune triumphed over Zhizhen Zhang in five sets, Gael Monfils, at 38, won in five sets against fellow Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, and Daniil Medvedev took over three hours to overcome Thailand's Kasidit Samrej, ranked 418th.

For the Spaniards, it was a mixed day in the men's draw. Roberto Bautista lost to Denis Shapovalov (3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (8)), while Pablo Carreño defeated Kamil Majchrzak (6-4, 6-4, 6-3). In the women's draw, Nuria Párrizas exited in the first round against American Iva Jovic (6-2, 6-1).

Publicidad

Publicidad

Publicidad

Publicidad

Esta funcionalidad es exclusiva para registrados.

Reporta un error en esta noticia

* Campos obligatorios

todoalicante Joao Fonseca Arrives on the Scene