Joao Fonseca has moved on to the Munich Open quarter-finals after defeating Arthur Rinderknech in three sets.
Fonseca eventually emerged victorious from the back-and-forth battle, defeating the Frenchman 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.
Rinderknech will live to rue his missed opportunities. After all, he engineered 12 break-point opportunities on Fonseca’s serve, but only converted two.
Joao Fonseca will be the man to unsettle Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s duopoly over men’s tennis – Prove us wrong!
As for Fonseca, he has moved on to the Munich Open quarter-finals, where he will play Alexander Blockx or second-seeded Ben Shelton.
Fonseca has already made history in Munich, ending a 12-year Brazilian drought.
Joao Fonseca is the first Brazilian in 12 years to reach the Munich Open quarter-finals
Fonseca has been in fine form recently, reaching the quarter-finals in Monte Carlo and Munich.
The Brazilian seems at home on the clay, and who would bet against him continuing his excellent form in the next round?
The youngster, at 19 years old, has already achieved what no other Brazilian could over the past 11 years: reaching the Munich Open quarter-finals.
Before Fonseca’s victory on Wednesday, Thomaz Bellucci was the last Brazilian to do so.
In 2014, Bellucci was a qualifier heading into the Munich Open.
The Brazilian repeatedly upset the odds in Germany, beating eight seed Ivan Dodig and Federico Delbonis to reach the last eight.
His run came to an end against top seed Fabio Fognini, who went on to lose the final to Martin Klizan – another qualifier.
Thomaz Bellucci’s run at the 2014 Munich Open
- First Round: defeated Ivan Dodig 7-6, 6-4
- Second Round: defeated Federico Delbonis 5-7, 6-3, 6-2
- Quarter-finals: lost to Fabio Fognini 2-6, 2-6
Joao Fonseca ‘loves’ being Brazilian
“I love to represent my country,” Fonseca said in his on-court interview after beating Rinderknech.
“Look at the support, look at this atmosphere that they put. Of course, with respect for the opponent, but making some noise, making good vibes.
“It’s pretty great. I love being a Brazilian.”
Fonseca has never played either of his potential quarter-final opponents on the ATP Tour.
However, Fonseca did play Alexander Blockx in the 2023 Australian Open junior event, losing to the Belgian in three sets.
Fonseca and Blockx also teamed up for doubles in the same tournament. They reached the final, before losing to Learner Tien and Cooper Williams.
