In its 11th edition on the ATP Tour, the Rio Open will comprise one of its strongest lineups. Five Top 30 players have signed up for the biggest ATP tournament in South America. Chief among them is World No. 2 and recent Australian Open runner-up Alexander Zverev. The German is the top seed of this 500 event and it will mark his debut appearance.
Holger Rune is the second seed and will also compete in Brazil for the first time. The European contingent will also include Lorenzo Musetti and Pedro Martinez who are among the seeds. Sebastian Baez is the defending champion and will also play. The tournament has named three wild cards as part of the entry list, and unsurprisingly all have gone to home players.
Three Players Receive Rio Open Wild Cards
The first name on the list of wild cards for the 2025 Rio Open is Brazilian teen sensation Joao Fonseca. Fresh from a headline-grabbing Grand Slam main draw debut at the Australian Open in which he defeated Andrey Rublev, Fonseca has attracted plenty of attention back home. His social media following has skyrocketed and the decision to hand him a wild card was probably the easiest choice for the organizers. Fonseca impressed during his last appearance 12 months ago (reached the quarterfinals as a wild card).
The second recipient is Thiago Monteiro. He was the most prominent Brazilian player on the ATP Tour in recent years until Fonseca’s emergence. Monteiro has played the main draw of the Rio Open each season since 2016 (with the exception of 2021 when the tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic). He is a two-time quarterfinalist at his home event (2016 & 2024).
The last and final name on the list is Felipe Meligeni Alves. Ranked 149th in the ATP rankings, Meligeni Alves will chase his first Tour-level win in a year. Incidentally, his last win was at the 2024 Rio Open (defeated Pedro Cachin in the first round). This will be his fourth main draw appearance.
Main draw action at this year’s Rio Open commences on February 17.
Main Photo Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports
