Joao Fonseca lived up to his billing as one of the Next Big Things on the ATP as the Brazilian teenager won the second Tour title of his career with a 6-3, 6-4 defeat of Alejandro Davidovich Fokina at the Swiss Indoors on Sunday.

The South American added Basel honours to a debut title won at the start of the year on his home continent.

Spanish opponent ADF lost the fifth final of his career.

Fonseca claimed the first ATP trophy by a Brazilian since Guga Kuerten won the Cincinnati Masters nearly a quarter of a century ago.”It’s crazy. I want to thank my family and my coaches who helped me achieve this amazing effort,” Fonseca said after winning in front of relatives from home.

“My parents just came from Brazil. They were coming to Paris and changed their flights and came here one hour before the match with my uncles. 

“It’s just amazing to have them here for the biggest title of my career. It is a pleasure playing this sport and this tournament and I am very happy.”

The winner will rise to 28th in the rankings after starting the season on 146.
He sent down 15 winners against ADF, claiming the first set on his fourth chance and breaking to start the second set before running out the win.

Defeat was the fourth in a final this season for the luckless AFD, still without a Tour trophy.

His 2025 heartbreaks have included missing match points in Delray Beach and Washington.

Main photo:- Joao Fonseca with Basel Trophy – by ATPTour.com

Teenaged young gun Joao Fonseca will bid for the first ATP 500 trophy of his career on Sunday when he faces tough Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the Swiss Indoors final.

The 19-year-old Brazilian will be keen to duplicate his second-round Cincinnati win from August when AFD had to retire in the second set.

Fonseca booked his spot 7-6 (4), 7-5 over Jaume Munar of Spain while ADF beat Ugo Humbert 7-6 (4), 3-1 when the Frenchman retired.

His was the fourth in two days at the event once dominated by Basel-born Roger Federer, after Canadians Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov and Norway’s Casper Ruud were all unable to finish their quarter-final matches here on Friday due to injuries.

Fonseca rallied from 2-4 down in the second set against Munar, advancing with nearly 40 winners into the first Masters final for a Brazilian player.

“I knew that it was going to be a tough match, Jaume is playing well,” the winner said.

“I’m happy with how I stayed mentally after an early break in the second set. I’m very happy, so let’s stay hyped for the final.”

Fonseca, the No. 46, won his first Tour-level trophy last February in South America and reached the third round at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

“It’s been an amazing year, starting at No. 130 in the world, now 40-something and into a first ATP 500 final,” Fonseca said after posting his 24th match win of 2025.

The Brazilian did not play the autumn Asian swing due to illness and is keen to come good in the closing stages of the 11-month tennis season.

Jaume Munar reached only the second ATP 500-level semi-final of his career on Friday when seeded opponent Felix Auger-Aliassime suddenly quit their match after losing the opening set.

Spain’s Munar advanced 6-3 after a 44-minute effort which included a 13-minute sixth game comprising seven deuces, with Canadian FAA saving three break points.

But three games later, it was all over, with the fifth seed who won the title here in 2022 and 2023, packing up his gear and leaving the court after quitting the match.

FAA had perhaps given a hint of trouble as he flexed his lower back after winning the second game of the afternoon with four straight winners against the 42nd-ranked Munar.

His problem was later revealed as a left knee injury.

The retirement leaves a question mark of the former top 10 player’s fitness for next week at the Paris Masters, where final places for the eight-man ATP Finals next month  will be sorted out.

FAA began the day standing provisional ninth behind Italian Lorenzo Musetti, still active this week in Vienna.