ATP
Brazilian teen beats Rublev in first Major
18 year old Brazilian qualifier Joao Fonseca made a spectacular Grand Slam debut knocking out ninth seed Andrey Rublev in straight sets 7-6(1), 6-3, 7-6(5) in the first round of the Australian Open.
The match lasted almost two and a half hours on the Margaret Court Arena.
Fonseca could break into the ATP top 100 by the end of the tournament.
The young gun showed no sign of nerves, hitting 51 winners and after the match revealed that Roger Federer was his inspiration.
The Brazilian arrived in Melbourne having won Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah in December 2024 and then kicked off his 2025 campaign winning the Canberra Challenger crown beating AO first round winner Brit Jacob Fearnley on the way to the title.
He then qualified for the Australian Open main draw in impressive style dropping only four games in three straight set wins.
Fonseco will play Italian Lorenzo Sonego in the second round.