Tie-break tussle: Fearless Fonseca tops Blue Group with win over Mensik

Joao Fonseca maintained his flawless run at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF by edging Jakub Mensik across five tie-break sets on a dramatic Friday night in Jeddah.

The Brazilian 18-year-old registered a hard-fought 3-4(4), 4-3(8), 4-3(5), 3-4(4), 4-3(5) victory over the third-seeded Czech in a match of fine margins. Fonseca held his nerve in five tight sets to clinch the pair's first Lexus ATP Head2Head clash and advance to the last four with a perfect 3-0 Blue Group record on his tournament debut.

“Before the match, I had already qualified for the semi-finals. I will play tomorrow,” Fonseca said in his on-court interview. “I had already qualified, so, I think in tennis or any sport you need to think of today, not tomorrow.”

Mensik showed glimpses of the solid play that defined his 2024 season. But it was a stronger showing from Fonseca, who withstood the challenge posed by the Czech’s booming deliveries with big serves and aggressive returns of his own. He won 73 per cent of his first-serve points, according to ATP Infosys Stats. Despite squandering two match points in the fifth set right before heading into the tie-break, he remained calm under pressure to seal the win in two hours and 11 minutes.

Fonseca, currently No. 145 in the PIF ATP Rankings, will play Luca Van Assche on Saturday for a place in the final. Van Assche finished runner-up in the Red Group after defeating Nishesh Basavareddy in a winner-take-all contest earlier on Friday.

“I know Luca. He is a very solid guy. We are going to face each other for the first time. I am going to do my best and hope I can go for the win,” Fonseca said.

Earlier this week, Fonseca dispatched top seed Arthur Fils and Learner Tien. The 18-year-old reached the quarter-finals in Rio de Janeiro in February and the last eight at the ATP 250 in Bucharest. He is the first Brazilian to compete at the 20-and-under event.

Did you know?
This is only the second time a Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF match has gone to five tie-breaks in event history after Dominic Stricker defeated Lorenzo Musetti in a group match in 2022.