Joao Fonseca has been waiting for his chance to play on the biggest stages of tennis, and what a way to arrive. The 18-year-old qualifier upset world No.9 Andrey Rublev in straight sets to claim his maiden Grand Slam win. It’s one thing to win on your Grand Slam main draw debut, but to do it against a Top 10 player and in straight sets is just incredible.
There was a lot of hype when everyone was waiting for qualifying rounds to finish and praying for Fonseca to not land in their favorite player’s section. We can see why with this result against Rublev. It’s not just that Fonseca beat Rublev–it’s the way he did it. He overpowered the Russian player in neutral rallies, which is what Rublev does to everyone. Whoever saw this match will be in awe of his tennis. The Brazilian has now won 14 straight matches and 22 consecutive sets. This win takes him inside the top 100 in live rankings for the first time, and it might just be the beginning.
A New Star Is Born
A new star has arrived in tennis, especially for Brazil. Fonseca has such a confident, composed and complete game for his age. No wonder he’s got so much hype. Even if he loses the next round he will be one of the big stories of the tournament. He has a monster forehand, a great backhand, and a great serve. He also has a good mentality when dealing with pressure. It’s insane how complete his game is already.
Fonseca was fearless in clutch moments and played his best tennis in the tiebreaks. Huge ball striking of both wings and the willingness to come forward. He isn’t the most athletic guy yet but his career is just starting and has a long way to go. During the match, he also hit the fastest forehand of the tournament, clocking in at 181 km/h. To have that kind of firepower at 18 years old is insane.
Even Rublev was smiling at the net after the end of the match. Maybe he recognised that there wasn’t that much he did wrong today, Fonseca just genuinely played like a Top 10 player. This version of Fonseca is a huge threat to pretty much everyone in the draw. At this point, the only question is how he holds up if a match goes to five sets, but he won’t need five sets against most players.
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
