Joao Fonseca defeated Arthur Rinderknech, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, in the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters.
The Brazilian wonderkid battled through in three sets to reach the last 16 on his Monte Carlo Masters debut.
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He was well-supported throughout, even though he was playing a Frenchman, Arthur Rinderknech, in Monte Carlo.
During his on-court interview, Fonseca gave his verdict on the French crowd.
Joao Fonseca thanked the crowd for their support in Monte Carlo
“The atmosphere really helped me,” said Fonseca.
“There were French people cheering for Arthur [Rinderknech], there were Brazilians cheering for me, it was a good atmosphere.
“So I just want to thank the crowd for the support and for coming today.”
The 19-year-old also took the time to analyse the match itself, where he was pushed all the way by Rinderknech.
“He was changing a lot of the rhythm; it was difficult to play,” said Fonseca.
“He was serving pretty well and making a lot of drop shots, serve and volley.
“I think his average serve was like 220 [kmh] today, something like that. It was difficult; even his second serve was 190, 180; it was difficult to feel the ball on the return games.
“He was also hitting pretty well; he hits very good shots.
Joao Fonseca vs Arthur Rinderknech – Match stats
| Stats | Joao Fonseca | Arthur Rinderknech |
| Aces | 3 | 5 |
| Double faults | 3 | 3 |
| 1st Serve % | 68% | 58% |
| Win % on 1st Serve | 70% | 75% |
| Win % on 2nd Serve | 63% | 61% |
| Break points | 3/7 | 2/12 |
“He has good touch as well at the net, I think he only lost one or two points at the net.
“He’s such a great player, he has been doing really great the last year and this year.
“I wish him all the best, and it was a good match.”
Defeating Rinderknech in Monte Carlo, Fonseca closed the gap to the Frenchman in the ‘Live ATP Rankings’.
Live ATP Rankings
- 26. Arthur Rinderknech – 1,691 points
- 27. Holger Rune – 1,620 points
- 28. Jack Draper – 1,610 points
- 29. Tomas Martin Etcheverry – 1,540 points
- 30. Arthur Fils – 1,440 points
- 31. Corentin Moutet – 1,433 points
- 32. Tallon Griekspoor – 1,430 points
- 33. Brandon Nakashima – 1,385 points
- 34. Ugo Humbert – 1,360 points
- 35. Joao Fonseca – 1,215 points
Looking to move back into the Grand Slam seeded positions (top 32), Fonseca will be after a few more big wins in the principality…
Who will Joao Fonseca play next in Monte Carlo?
Beating Gabriel Diallo and Rinderknech in his first two matches at the Monte Carlo Masters, Fonseca booked his place in the third round, where he will meet Italy’s Matteo Berrettini.
Joao Fonseca at the Monte Carlo Masters so far
- 1R [WIN] vs Gabriel Diallo, 6-2, 6-3
- 2R [WIN] vs Arthur Rinderknech, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3
In one of the biggest shocks of the year so far, Berrettini dismantled Daniil Medvedev, 6-0, 6-0 in his second-round match.
Berrettini has yet to lose a single game in Monte Carlo and will be tough to beat.
Should Fonseca halt Berrettini’s progress, he would likely meet Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals.
Joao Fonseca’s Monte Carlo Masters draw
| Round | Highest-ranked potential opponent | Potential seeded opponents |
| 3R | Matteo Berrettini (90) | – |
| QF | Alexander Zverev (3) | [3] Alexander Zverev |
| SF | Jannik Sinner (2) | [2] Jannik Sinner, [6] Felix Auger-Aliassime, [9] Casper Ruud |
| F | Carlos Alcaraz (1) | [1] Carlos Alcaraz, [4] Lorenzo Musetti, [5] Alex de Minaur, [8] Alexander Bublik, [10] Flavio Cobolli, [11] Jiri Lehecka |
Zverev survived an almighty scare in his opening match, as Chile’s Cristian Garin found himself a game away from knocking out the world number three.
If Fonseca were to upset the odds and beat Zverev, he’d then face the unenviable task of playing Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in back-to-back matches.
Fonseca has lost to both players this year and is yet to win a set against either Sinner or Alcaraz.
- 2026 Indian Wells 4R [LOSS] vs Jannik Sinner, 6-7, 6-7
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He would love another shot at the world’s top two players, but will be wary of the form they are in.
Sinner dropped just three games in his Monte Carlo opener, while Alcaraz won his second-round match, 6-1, 6-3.
With both players vying for the world number-one ranking in Monte Carlo, they are as motivated as ever.
Carlos Alcaraz concedes Jannik Sinner will become world number one!
Will it happen this week in Monte Carlo?
Fonseca won’t want to concern himself with potential semi-final and final match-ups just yet, though, as he now turns his attention to Berrettini and round three.
The Brazilian will take to Court des Princes for his third-round match on Thursday, April 9.
