Joao Fonseca defeated Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 6-2, in the third round of the 2026 Monte Carlo Masters.
The Brazilian youngster delivered one of his finest performances of the season, dismantling Berrettini, who hadn’t lost a game in his first two matches (4-0 RET vs Roberto Bautista Agut, 6-0, 6-0 vs Daniil Medvedev).
Is Joao Fonseca the greatest threat to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in Monte Carlo?
He's qualified for his first career Masters 1000 QF!
Fonseca, as confident as ever, sent a clear message to his rivals during his post-match interview.
Joao Fonseca ‘wants more’ after reaching first Masters 1000 quarter-final
The 19-year-old was happy with the win, but immediately looked ahead to his first career Masters 1000 quarter-final.
“Super special, I was looking for this result for a long time,” said Fonseca.
“Of course, I want more.
“I’m looking forward to tomorrow. I still don’t know who I’m playing, but for sure, I’m very confident and very focused on my match.”
Joao Fonseca’s Masters 1000 performance timeline
| Tournament | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Win/Loss record | Win % |
| Indian Wells | – | 2R | 4R | 4-2 | 67% |
| Miami Open | – | 3R | 2R | 3-2 | 60% |
| Monte Carlo Masters | – | – | QF* | 3-0 | 100% |
| Madrid Open | 2R | 2R | – | 2-2 | 50% |
| Italian Open | – | 1R | – | 0-1 | 0% |
| Canadian Open | – | 1R | – | 0-1 | 0% |
| Cincinnati Open | – | 3R | – | 2-1 | 67% |
| Shanghai Masters | – | – | – | 0-0 | – |
| Paris Masters | – | 2R | – | 1-1 | 50% |
Playing his first Masters 1000 quarter-final, Fonseca will take on Germany’s Alexander Zverev, the world number three, or Belgium’s Zizou Bergs
Zverev would be the favourite, should he make his way past Bergs, but even he won’t take Fonseca lightly.
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The teenager has long been touted as a future Grand Slam contender, and his performances this week in the principality have been worthy of those projections.
Saying he wants ‘more’ straight after securing his spot in a maiden Masters 1000 quarter-final proves that Fonseca is determined to make good on his potential.
The Brazilian has the mind to match his game, too, and provided an excellent analysis of his third-round win.
“Very happy with the way I fought today, from the beginning putting on a lot of pressure, playing huge return games, and very good serve games as well,” said Fonseca.
“Serve plus one, return plus one, was aggressive, so I was putting on a lot of pressure, and that helped me stay calm during the match, and putting pressure on him; he was feeling the tension.
“The support from the crowd was really important today as well.”
Fonseca will undoubtedly have the crowd’s backing when he returns for his quarter-final match on Friday, April 10.
Jamie Murray reacts to ‘seriously impressive performance’ from Joao Fonseca
During Sky Sports’ post-match coverage, Jamie Murray shared his thoughts on Fonseca’s straight-sets win.
“That’s a seriously impressive performance from Fonseca, got better and better as the match went on,” he said.
“Very impressive second set, finished the match so strongly.
“Really took [Matteo] Berrettini to the woodshed, I think.”
Joao Fonseca vs Matteo Berrettini – Match stats
| Stats | Joao Fonseca | Matteo Berrettini |
| Aces | 5 | 2 |
| Double faults | 0 | 0 |
| 1st Serve % | 70% | 45% |
| Win % on 1st Serve | 90% | 70% |
| Win % on 2nd Serve | 46% | 36% |
| Break points | 4/6 | 1/1 |
For as good as Fonseca was, Murray was disappointed with the level Berrettini produced.
“Berrettini disappointed with his serve stats, his forehand went off the boil completely in that second set, Fonseca was more than ready to take advantage of that,” said Murray.
“I’m sure he will be very excited about the opportunity to play on Centre Court tomorrow, his first quarter-finals of a Masters series.
“For me, first serve percentage, 45, that needs to be up around 65 to 65% there, to give him more opportunity to dictate the points from ball three.
“Fonseca barely lost points on his first serve.
“A lot of forehand unforced errors as well [for Berrettini], 17 off his favourite wing, only six winners, that’s nowhere near good enough from him with his reliance on that big forehand to do damage.
“Good to see Fonseca approach the net a lot, a lot of success, he will have a lot of opportunities as his career goes on due to his power and his groundstrokes, ability to push players back and get them running.
While Fonseca turns his attention to the quarter-finals, Berrettini will now travel to Spain for the Madrid Open later this month.
