Fonseca, 17, stuns Fils in Rio: 'This is where I belong'

Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca has scored a stunning upset over Next Gen ATP Finals runner-up Arthur Fils on home soil at the Rio Open presented by Claro to claim the first tour-level win of his career.

Coming into the tournament at No. 655 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, 17-year-old Fonseca controlled the match on serve and return, earning break points in six of Fils' eight service games and breaking four times during his commanding 6-0, 6-4 win.

Fonseca, who is the first player born in 2006 to win a main-draw tour-level match, dominated the match with his punishing forehand, clubbing 17 winners (11 on the forehand side) to Fils' 10.

"I am so happy. It couldn't be better than this to get my first win 10 minutes away from my house and with all my friends, all my family watching," said Fonseca, who fell to his knees and held his head in disbelief after securing match point. "It's very special and let's go for another one in the second round.

"I was focused on making every ball. Obviously I was nervous, I was shaking, but I wanted so much to win, I made it.

"The last few months I was so focused on my progress and this is the result. I am a lot more mature and this is where I belong. I want to be in these huge stadiums."

Fonseca, who won last year’s US Open boys’ singles title, served as a hitting partner at November's Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, where he practised with the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev.

The Brazilian is part of the Next Gen Accelerator Programme, which provides chances to compete on the ATP Challenger Tour for the world’s best junior players. He receives eight main draw playing opportunities for ATP Challenger Tour 50 and 75 events.

Before this week Fonseca had played exclusively at the ATP Challenger Tour level this season. He reached the semi-finals in the Buenos Aires-1 Challenger in the second week of January before losing back-to-back first-round matches at Challengers in Buenos Aires-2 and Punta del Este in Uruguay.

There's no place like home. 🇧🇷#RioOpen10Anos pic.twitter.com/A9pJiZ4yBY

— Rio Open (@RioOpenOficial) February 21, 2024

Fonseca will next play Chilean Cristian Garin.

“The match against Garin will be another tough one, but I think I’m prepared,” Fonseca said in his post-match press conference. “I’m at home and have my family and friends here to support me so hopefully I’ll try to enjoy the moment and let’s see what happens.

"I’ve been coming to the Rio Open since the first edition and this makes this win even more special to me… I know this was a big step, but it’s not over yet. I’m happy but I want more and more and hopefully keep going in the tournament. I want to reach the top and that’s what I’m focused on.

“I knew it was going to be a tough match but the pressure was on his side so I tried to work with that. I tried to keep my intensity since the first point. I played really well on the first set and I knew he was going to be a bit nervous playing against a younger opponent.

Fourth seed Francisco Cerundolo enjoyed a crushing 6-2, 6-1 win over Albert Ramos-Vinolas to charge into the quarter-finals.

The World No. 22 Argentine saved the lone break point he faced to improve to 2-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series against the Spaniard. Cerundolo is just three places below his career-high Pepperstone ATP Ranking of No. 19, with the chance to set a new record with a title this week.

Those were the only two completed singles matches on Day 3 in Rio as rain caused an early suspension of play for the night. Brazil's Thiago Seyboth Wild will resume with a 6-2, 2-3 lead on serve over Jaume Munar on Thursday.