MELBOURNE, Australia — João Fonseca definitively introduced himself to the world as the latest teen sensation in men’s tennis on Tuesday night, upsetting No. 9 seed Andrey Rublev 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-6 (5) in the first round of the Australian Open.
It was quite a debut in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament for the 18-year-old Brazilian, who is ranked 112th and made it into the bracket at Melbourne Park by winning three matches in qualifying rounds last week.
The victory over 10-time major quarterfinalist Rublev, who is 27, lasted just under 2 1/2 hours and stretched Fonseca’s current unbeaten run to 14 matches. That includes taking the title last month in Saudi Arabia at the Next Gen ATP Finals for top players who are under 21, and another trophy this month at a lower-tier Challenger tournament in Canberra.
Those within tennis have been keeping tabs on 2023 US Open junior boys’ champion Fonseca for a bit, intrigued by his big serve, booming groundstrokes and cool demeanor. All of those qualities, and more, were on display against Rublev in Margaret Court Arena, the second-biggest stage in Melbourne.
Fonseca got to match point with a backhand winner that he celebrated by raising his right index finger in a No. 1 gesture and nodding his head. Then he ended it with a down-the-line forehand, spreading his arms wide and tossing his head back.
“I mean, not bad,” were Fonseca’s first words during his on-court interview afterward.
That drew a smile from him and supportive laughter from the stands, where there were plenty of fans sporting his home country’s flag.
“I just enjoyed every moment in this court, this amazing court,” he continued. “My first time playing in a huuuuge stadium.”
Hitting serves at up to 133 mph, Fonseca delivered 14 aces and had just one double fault while saving five of the six break points he faced.
He accumulated 51 total winners, 18 more than Rublev, a quarterfinalist in Melbourne three of the past four years and Fonseca’s first opponent ranked higher than No. 20.
“I was just focusing [on] my game, trying to put no pressure on myself, playing [against] a top-10 guy,” Fonseca said. “I was just playing my game and, well, now we’re in the second round.”
He will next face 55th-ranked Lorenzo Sonego, who got past three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka in four sets earlier Tuesday.
Asked the key to his strong play in the tiebreakers against the far-more-experienced Rublev, Fonseca said he tries to employ “all the intensity in the important points,” “go for the shots” and show “courage.”
He also cited 20-time major champion Roger Federer as an inspiration.
“Like Roger says: ‘Talent is not enough.’ … So I put [in] a lot of hard work,” Fonseca said. “Just me and my team knows that.”
