(Adnkronos) – Joao Fonseca continues to amaze. The Brazilian tennis player, 18, became the first tennis player born in 2006 to win a Slam match.
Fonseca, number 112 in the world, in the first round of the Australian Open beat Andrey Rublev, number nine in the ATP ranking, with a score of 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-6 (5). An extraordinary result for Joao, which confirms a growth that began last season, where he stood out in the last edition of the Davis Cup, and continued at the Next Gen ATP Finals, won undefeated. In Saudi Arabia Fonseca joined Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in the special club of tennis players capable of triumphing at the Next Gen before the age of 19. In the tournament reserved for the best emerging players on the circuit, Fonseca beat the American Learner Tien in the final, thus arriving in Melbourne with the trappings of the predestined and the status of a potential outsider. The match with Rublev confirmed Fonseca as one of the loose cannons of the tournament, with confirmation already expected in the next round, when he will challenge the Italian Lorenzo Sonego. Fonseca showed humility and maturity even off the pitch, as confirmed by his immediate words after the match against Rublev: “It’s not bad to beat the number 9 in the world”, he said with a smile, “I’m enjoying this moment As Federer says, talent alone is not enough. I work hard to get where I want every day, my team knows this. I like to see that so many Brazilians have come to cheer for me, it’s a magnificent crowd.” Many are already comparing Joao Fonseca to Jannik Sinner. His vertical growth is reminiscent of the exploits of the Italian, who has just experienced a fairytale 2024 and arrives at the new season as world number one. Even the way of playing, aggressive right from the serve, is reminiscent of Sinner, as confirmed by Fonseca: “If I had to identify with someone I would say Sinner because I like to play aggressive”, the young Brazilian had said in an interview with Marca, “at the moment My backhand is better than my forehand, which in any case remains my main weapon. I can immediately be incisive thanks to my serve and I think this is also why in Brazil they call me ‘little Sinner’.” Joao Fonseca turned 18 last August 21st, celebrating his birthday five days after Sinner, and just like Jannik he lived a dream 2024, starting as number 727 in the world and ending in 112th place in the rankings. Fonseca began the season making a splash at his home tournament in Rio de Janeiro, reaching the quarterfinals of an ATP tournament for the first time, and went on to capture his first Challenger title in Lexington. In total, on the ATP circuit, Fonseca played 14 matches, winning half of them and closing the year with the triumph at the Next Gen. Fonseca’s playing style improved a lot over the course of the year. Joao tends to take control of the rally right from the start, especially in his serves, with the serve already traveling at an average of 225 kilometers per hour, trying to close the point as quickly as possible. Just like Sinner, he makes great use of groundstrokes, managing to be incisive with both his forehand and backhand. He is a complete player, who is learning to vary his game so as not to give reference points and surprise his opponent.
