Brazil's Fonseca beats Rublev to pull off major Australian Open shock | ITF

Credit: Paul Zimmer

Joao Fonseca (BRA)

Brazil's Fonseca beats Rublev to pull off major Australian Open shock

Ross McLean

14 Jan 2025

Brazilian teenage sensation Joao Fonseca has hit the headlines after claiming a stunning victory over world No. 9 Andrey Rublev at the Australian Open – his first win versus a Top 10 opponent.

The 18-year-old was contesting his maiden Grand Slam main draw match after navigating three rounds of qualifying to take his place among the game’s elite in the men’s singles draw at Melbourne Park. He dispatched Rublev 7-6(1) 6-3 7-6(5).

Fonseca is steeped in the ITF player pathway having reached No.1 in the ITF World Tennis Tour boys’ rankings in September 2023 following his triumph at the US Open Junior Championships in New York. He finished 2023 as the year-end No. 1 boy and was named an ITF World Champion.

Earlier in 2023, Fonseca received $25,000 worth of funding through ITF-administered Grand Slam Player Grants, which help players from developing tennis nations gain vital competitive experience on the international stage.

His talent had come to the fore well before his US Open triumph, however. He spearheaded Brazil’s first ever Davis Cup Juniors triumph in November 2022 as they became just the second South American nation to lift the trophy.

The teenager’s rise since then has been meteoric and in August 2024 he sealed his first professional title after conquering all before him at the Lexington Challenger. Just over a month later, he made his Davis Cup debut for Brazil.

Fonseca recorded some notable victories for his nation as Brazil battled to reach the Davis Cup Final 8, while in December he became the second-youngest player – after Jannik Sinner – to win the Next Gen ATP Finals.

The world No. 113 already has an ATP Challenger title to his name this year after topping the podium in Canberra, and has now made his presence felt on one of the game’s biggest stages.

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