ATP Tour

Hometown hero Fonseca earns first win of the season in Rio de Janeiro

There is no place quite like home to find some rhythm again.

Following an injury setback and a series of early exits, hometown hero Joao Fonseca earned his first win of the season Tuesday at the Rio Open presented by Claro by defeating countryman Thiago Monteiro 7-6(1), 6-1 in the opening round.

"It's just amazing having my first victory of the year [here] after a tough few months," Fonseca said. "It's just super special, so I'm very happy."

In his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting against Monteiro, Fonseca delivered a dominant serving display. He fired seven aces, including two in a clutch opening set tie-break, and won 84 per cent (36/43) of his first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats. Buoyed by a boisterous home crowd, the 19-year-old claimed the win in one hour and 24 minutes, during which he did not face a break point. He will face Ignacio Buse in the next round.

In other opening-round action, Matteo Berrettini held firm to defeat lucky loser Tomas Barrios Vera 7-6(1), 7-5. The match featured only one break of serve when Berrettini broke Barrios Vera in the final game to seal his two-hour, 25-minute win against the Chilean.

Tomas Martin Etcheverry and top seed Francisco Cerundolo both advanced to the second round by winning an all-Argentine clash. Etcheverry defeated Francisco Comesana 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 and Cerundolo cruised past Mariano Navone 6-3, 6-4. His younger brother, Juan Manuel Cerundolo, upset second seed Luciano Darderi 6-1, 3-6, 6-4. The victory came just two days after Francisco defeated Darderi in the Buenos Aires final.

Watch Cerundolo vs. Navone highlights:

Other winners on Tuesday included Roman Andres Burruchaga and lucky loser Francesco Passaro. Burruchaga defeated fifth seed Camilo Ugo Carabelli 6-3, 6-4 and Passaro beat Dino Prizmic 6-3, 6-4.