Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca makes it through the second round at the BNP Paribas Open on debut, earning his maiden hardcourt win at a Masters 1000 level over Briton Jacob Fearnley on Thursday afternoon.
Wild card Joao Fonseca digs deep to prevail over world No. 88 Jacob Fearnley 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 in two hours on Stadium 1, setting up a second-round showpiece against 13th seed Jack Draper in Indian Wells.
Courtside, he commented: “I’m very grateful. Today was pretty difficult. A lot of wind – I got through, so I’m happy.”
Assessing his performance, Fonseca added: “Second set, he played more aggressively, and I was a bit more tight, maybe a bit more nervous. It’s the first round, so it’s normal.”
Making his first-ever appearance at the BNP Paribas Open, the 18-year-old Brazilian displayed all his power and resilience to battle through his opponent, the wind, and the heat at Tennis Paradise on Thursday, continuing his breakout season on uncharted territory.
The 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals champion dominated play, breaking twice before pocketing the opening set 6-2 in just 32 minutes.
As the second set wore on, momentum shifted as Fearnley regrouped behind his serve, finding his groove with his heavy groundstrokes to force his adversary to commit costly errors – Fonseca dropped serve twice – closing out 6-1 to level the match and force a decider.
However, the Argentina Open winner reacts well under pressure, rising in the big moments.
A break of serve in the third game could have held back the Rio de Janeiro-born, but instead, he rallied through a lengthy game, forcing the Briton to fend off a break point to hold his 3-1 lead.
Patience is another virtue that adds to the youngest Brazilian champion in the Open Era, who at the Australian Open claimed his biggest career win by Ranking over world No. 9 Andrey Rublev.
He would narrow the gap by holding his ground at 2-3, setting in motion an outstanding recovery. Going the distance, he took the following five games to notch the set 6-3 and the win in style.
Guilherme Teixeira’s pupil won 69 percent of the first serve points and 49 on his second delivery, converting four of seven break-point chances.
Furthermore, he hit 17 winners (11 with his forehand) against 34 unforced errors to Fearnley’s 29 and 45, respectively.
Following his first win at the prestigious tournament, the Brazilian set up a second-round clash with world No. 14 Draper.
The No. 1 British racquet will open his campaign in the desert, playing his first event since reaching the final in Doha, when he lost to Rublev in three edgy sets.
The competitors have never played one another before at tour level.
