Joao Fonseca continued his excellent form on Tuesday, defeating Denis Shapovalov in three sets to advance at the Paris Masters.
Last week, Fonseca won his second ATP Tour title at the Swiss Indoors event, defeating Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the final.
The Brazilian is one of the best young stars on the ATP Tour, and he appears to have carried his Swiss Indoors form to the Paris Masters.
On Tuesday, Fonseca recorded his second win against Denis Shapovalov in consecutive weeks, defeating the Canadian 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.
In the next round, Fonseca will face 10th seed Karen Khachanov, who won the Paris Masters title in 2018.
After defeating Shapovalov, Fonseca reflected on the influence of crowd support during his matches.
Joao Fonseca used to dislike the pressure of having the crowd on his side
Joao Fonseca has big expectations weighing on his shoulders, especially after being tipped to form a new ‘big three’ alongside Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
However, it seems the 19-year-old has learned how to deal with the pressure. The Brazilian, despite his age, comes across as an individual who possesses maturity beyond his years.
Buoyed by the support he has received from across the globe, Fonseca has developed into a title-winning star, one whose ceiling appears limitless.
“When I was younger, I felt much more pressure when I was playing with the crowd on my side, and nowadays I just love playing with them,” Fonseca told reporters after defeating Shapovalov.
“I think their support, it helps me a lot to stay in the match. When things are bad, when things are good, they are there to support.
“So I love playing with the crowd. I know that everywhere I go there are some Brazilians and that’s super nice.
“I love representing my country, so it’s a pleasure just representing them, and that everywhere I go, every match I play, there are some Brazilians cheering.”
If the Brazilian defeats Karen Khachanov in the second round, he will face either Alex de Minaur or Gabriel Diallo.
Fonseca has played de Minaur once before, at the 2025 Miami Open. The ‘Demon’ won the contest, defeating Fonseca 5-7, 7-5, 6-3.
Fonseca has never faced Gabriel Diallo before on the ATP Tour.
Fonseca credits Brazilian fans after Shapovalov victory
Immediately after defeating Shapovalov, Fonseca spoke to Tennis TV about the role of the Brazilian fans in his victory.
He said: “It’s just crazy. I think their support helped me a lot to win this match today.
“Just calling my name and a lot of yellow jerseys that, I don’t know, people that live here or came from Brazil just to see me.
“It’s just unbelievable, so thanks a lot to them.
If Fonseca advances to the quarter-final stage in Paris, he could face world number four Taylor Fritz.
Fritz, who lost to Ugo Humbert at last week’s Swiss Indoors event, will play either Corentin Moutet or Alexander Bublik in the round of 16.
