January 14, 2025
Joao Fonseca announced himself on the biggest stage on Tuesday at the Australian Open, where he produced a stunning display to upset World No. 9 Andrey Rublev 7-6(1), 6-3, 7-6(5) and earn victory on his major main draw debut.
Fonseca has been in red-hot form in the past month. The Brazilian won the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF title in December, his second ATP Challenger Tour crown in Canberra in early January and then advanced through qualifying without dropping a set last week in Melbourne.
High in confidence and with hype growing, Fonseca showed everyone what he was capable of with a high-quality, pro-active performance against Rublev. The World No. 112 hit with effortless power off both wings and outhit his 27-year-old opponent in front of a raucous atmosphere on Margaret Court Arena.
“I just enjoyed every moment on this amazing court, it’s my first time playing in a huge stadium,” Fonseca said. “I want to thank this amazing crowd. There are some Brazilians here… a lot of Brazilians here cheering for me!
“I was trying to not put pressure on myself, playing with a Top 10 guy in a huge stadium. [I was] trying to call the crowd to help me. I just enjoyed playing my game. That’s one thing about myself, is that I play better in the important points, I go for my shots. That was the difference today.”
Fonseca also responded well from adversity in the match, rallying from a break down in the third set to advance in straight sets. His reward is a second-round meeting against Lorenzo Sonego after the Italian beat Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 5-7, 7-5, 7-5.
Fonseca started 2024 at No. 730 in the PIF ATP Rankings but ended it inside the Top 150. He reached the quarter-finals at the ATP 500 in Rio de Janeiro and at the ATP 250 in Bucharest. Having won his past 14 matches at all levels, Fonseca is rapidly closing in on his Top 100 debut.
It is the first time Rublev has lost in the first round at the Australian Open since 2019. He is the second Top 10 player to exit at this year’s event after Grigor Dimitrov retired on Monday.
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